Chinese and Indian Army to hold high-level meeting in Ladakh on Tuesday amid border standoff

• This is going to be the third Higher Commander Level Meeting (HCLM) which is held between the Major General rank officers of the two sides.
• The meetings between the two militaries are held at three levels at the borders which includes the Local Commander or the Colonel level, Station Commander (Delegation Level) or the Brigadier Level and the Highest is the Major General Level called the HLCM. These are emergency meetings which happen when something emergent is required to be discussed as otherwise there are scheduled meetings on important days apart from the meetings at fixed intervals.
• A large number of soldiers from both sides were injured in the clash. On Friday India had moved more troops to match the deployments on the Chinese side. Sunday also saw an acrimonious battle of words on Social Media after the leaks of videos and photos of the two sides purportedly of the day of incident at Pangong Tso.
• The officers feel such leaks vitiate the atmosphere. But Indian forces have been instructed to maintain peace but remain firm with the endeavour to find a solution through talks between the military and at the diplomatic level.

Jammu & Kashmir News

• The Indian army neutralised 13 terrorists along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Mendhar-Poonch region on Monday.
• While three heavily armed terrorists were killed in Rajouri district’s Nowshera sector on Monday morning, 10 more terrorists were killed in an encounter with army troops in Mendhar along the Line of Control in the Jammu division.
• In an ongoing counter-infiltration operation which started on May 28, alert troops of Indian Army eliminated an infiltration bid along the LoC in Mendhar sector and killed at least ten militants. The officer said searches are underway in the villages of Poonch district.
• The Pakistani terrorists made the abortive attempt to sneak into the Kalal area of Nowshera from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 28 but were killed in the subsequent counter-infiltration operation.
• They said bodies of all the three terrorists were found by the search parties Monday morning but could not be retrieved due to close proximity of the enemy posts and the lurking threat of firing during any attempt to recover them.
• However, a large number of arms and ammunition, including two AK assault rifles with 13 filled magazines, a US-make M-16A2 rifle with six filled magazines, a 9-MM Chinese pistol, an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) with six grenades, five hand grenades and two knives, was recovered during the operation.

Pak firing US-made missile to target civilians in J-K; infiltration bid foiled, 3 killed in Naushera

• In a desperate attempt to infiltrate terrorists into the Indian side, rogue Pakistan Army pounded US-made TOW missile to target civilians along Line of Control (LoC).
• Misuse of this US-made projectile came to light yesterday in Mendhar sector, where one civilian was injured, and several houses damaged.
• This is the first time during the last three decades of terrorism when this missile has been used against civilian population.
• There are reports that India is going to flag this issue of usage of this US-made killer projectile at the highest level.
• TOW 2A anti-tank missiles were given to Pak for self-defence and to support US operations against Taliban and other Afghan terrorists. Same cannot be used against any of US ally, including India.
• Repeated ceasefire violations along LoC and targetting of innocent civilians is part of Pakistans asymmetric and hybrid warfare strategy against India. Under the garb of shelling Pakistan is trying to push in a large number of terrorists into Indian side to keep the pot of terrorism boiling.

Chinese fighters flying 30-35 kms from Eastern Ladakh, India watching closely

• Amid the ongoing tensions over People’s Liberation Army (PLA) build up along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, India is keeping a close eye on the movement of Chinese J-11 and J-7 fighter aircraft stationed around 100-150 kms at their bases in Hotan and Gargunsa.
• India had scrambled its Su-30 MKI in the first week in May when an Indian Army chopper and Chinese chopper were close to each other in the air. The Hotan base has been under the surveillance of the Indian agencies for quite some time now as the Pakistanis have been holding aerial exercise with the PLA Air Force there.
• On the Indian side also, the unmanned aerial vehicles of the Ladakh-based Surveillance and Target Acquisition batteries of defence forces and intelligence agencies are using their Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to carry out extensive reconnaissance of both sides of the LAC and Chinese positions along the Galwan Nala.

Pakistan summons Indian envoy, registers strong protest over India expelling 2 ISI agents

• As India decided to expel the two ISI agents caught red-handed in Delhi gathering information on Army establishments in India, Pakistan summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register its protest against the move.
• Pakistan on Monday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register strong protest over India’s decision to expel two officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on charges of espionage.

German army tests new MG4 A3 machine gun

• The advanced version of MG4 light machine gun designed and developed by German firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch, it meets all these requirements perfectly and offers the latest technological advances. It provides unmatched performance characteristics: Owing to its low recoil, the shot is readily controllable, giving high target precision. Its great combat effectiveness and range, optimal rate of fire and simple handling make it a weapon unlike any other.
• In addition to a new coat of paint, the new version of the MG4 also got a new 4×30 rifle scope. The weight is now around 8.6 kilograms.
• After three weeks of testing and 7,000 shots, the findings are now being evaluated. Together with the Army Development Office and the Heckler & Koch company, the last improvements are being made so that the weapon can be delivered to the German troops next year.

Despite India’s objection, China to construct 1,124-megawatt power project in PoK under CPEC

• China under the multi-billion-dollar CPEC will set up a 1,124-megawatt power project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir despite India’s objection to it
• the meeting was informed that a tripartite agreement has been finalised among China’s Three Gorges Corporation, the authorities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the PPIB to implement the 1,124-megawatt Kohala hydroelectric power project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.
• The project will be built on the Jhelum River and aims at annually providing more than five billion units of clean and low-cost electricity for consumers in Pakistan. The paper further reported that this marks one of the largest investments of USD 2.4 billion in an independent power producer (IPP) in the region.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. The advanced version of MG4 light machine gun designed and developed by which German firearm manufacturer?
2. Abeking & Rasmussen
3. Heckler & Koch
4. Atlas Elektronik
5. Airbus Helicopters

ANSWER: B

• Which Chinese fighters are flying 30-35 kms from Eastern Ladakh, that India is watching closely?
• Chengdu J-11 & J-7
• Changhe Z-8
• Hongdu JL-8
• Both B & C

ANSWER: A

• Which missiles were given to Pak for self-defence and to support US operations against Taliban and other Afghan terrorists?
• Baktar-Shikan missiles
• SUPARCO A-100E missiles
• TOW 2A anti-tank missiles
• PL-9C missiles

ANSWER: C

• China under the multi-billion-dollar CPEC will set up a 1,124-megawatt power project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir despite India’s objection to it. What is the project’s name?
• Kohala hydroelectric power project
• Guanyinyan hydroelectric power project
• Gezhouba hydroelectric power project
• Pubugou hydroelectric power project

ANSWER: A