Bofors ex-accused 'given bribes' in India arms deal

Mr Quattrocchi has always maintained his innocence

India's income tax department has ruled that illegal commissions were paid to an Italian businessman accused over an arms scandal which ended Rajiv Gandhi's term as prime minister 20 years ago.

It said over $9m (£6m) was paid to Ottavio Quattrocchi and an Indian arms dealer, Win Chadha.
In 2009, India dropped a graft case against Mr Quattrocchi and withdrew his name from Interpol's wanted list.
The main opposition BJP has now demanded the case be reopened.
Mr Quattrocchi was an accused in the high profile Bofors corruption case, one of the longest-running criminal investigations in India.
The Swedish firm AB Bofors was alleged to have paid $1.3bn in bribes during the sale of 400 howitzers to India in 1986, when Rajiv Gandhi of the Congress party was prime minister.
Politically sensitive The Bofors issue is extremely sensitive politically for the governing Congress party, as Mr Quattrocchi was known to be a friend of Italian-born party leader Sonia Gandhi.
Now an income tax investigation has found that commissions were paid to Mr Quattrocchi and a now deceased Indian arms dealer Win Chadha, and that tax should be paid on such income.
"Inaction in this regard may lead to a non-existent undesirable and detrimental notion that India is a soft state and one can meddle with its tax laws with impunity," the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal said in its order.
Correspondents say the ruling will embarrass the Congress party.
A party spokesman told reporters it will give a response after examining the income tax ruling.
The main opposition BJP demanded that the case against Mr Quattrocchi be reopened, insisting that there had been a "huge cover-up operation" while closing the case against him.
The Italian businessman has always denied any involvement, arguing he was the victim of a political vendetta in India.
Indian investigators have tried unsuccessfully for much of the past decade to get Mr Quattrocchi extradited to India.
The case contributed to the election defeat of Rajiv Gandhi in 1989, two years before he was assassinated.
In 2004, he was posthumously cleared of any wrongdoing in the deal.

China 'in nuclear power advance'

China is determined to reduce its heavy reliance on coal as an energy source

China has developed its own technologies that will enable it to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, state television has reported.

The country has launched an ambitious programme to build a number of new nuclear power stations.
This latest breakthrough could provide fuel for those plants for years to come.
Chinese scientists have apparently been working on this technology for 24 years.
State television says they have now perfected a procedure that will allow them to reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
It is a complex and costly procedure but the recycled material can be used again to fuel nuclear power stations.
China is not the first country to develop its own reprocessing facilities. France, Britain and India are just three countries that already have their own operations.
But this breakthrough will have major implications in China.
The country is building a number of new nuclear power plants in an effort to diversify its energy sources.
At the moment it mostly relies on coal. This latest development could help its nuclear power programme.
State television says the country currently has enough known uranium for at most 70 years.
It claims this new process could mean that supply will now last for 3,000 years.

Iran 'invites foreign diplomats to nuclear sites'

Diplomats will be shown Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, reports say

Iran has invited foreign diplomats to tour its nuclear facilities, according to reports.

The invitation, which has not been confirmed by Tehran, comes ahead of fresh talks with key world powers over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
Delegates from Russia, China and the EU are among those invited, but not the US, AP news agency reported.
Many Western countries suspect Iran is developing nuclear weapons but Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
A senior European diplomat in Brussels told Reuters news agency that Iran had invited several ambassadors accredited to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit its nuclear sites.
The Associated Press said it had seen a letter in which senior Iranian envoy Ali Asghar Soltanieh suggests the weekend of 15-16 January for the tour.
Bushehr and Natanz were the venues to be toured, the agency added, citing a diplomat accredited to the IAEA.
Tehran is already subject to inspections by the IAEA but it would appear that this tour may be aimed at diplomats not inspectors, says the BBC's Iran correspondent James Reynolds.
A new round of talks between Iran and the five permanent UN Security Council members - the US, Russia, China, Britain and France - plus Germany, is tentatively set for Istanbul, Turkey, in late January.
The talks will follow a two-day meeting in Geneva early last month which EU foreign affairs chief Baroness Ashton described as "substantive".
The UN Security Council has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran and demanded that it stops its uranium enrichment programme.
Uranium can be enriched to make nuclear fuel or be more highly enriched and used in nuclear weapons.
Iranian negotiators have flatly ruled out discussing such demands at the Istanbul meeting.

Stop Insulting Pakistan and Pakistanis…!

Stop Insulting Pakistan and Pakistanis…!

Nariman House

What will be more insulting for Pakistan and Pakistanis that a court of USA has issued summons to ex and present Chiefs of ISI? Although these summons have no value. But will not this act of American court support on going propaganda against Pakistan? Or American govt./foreign ministry were unaware that successors of Jewish couple murdered in 26/11 Mumbai attacks have registered a case in American court? On this basis judge has issued summons to present Chief of ISI Shujaa Pasha, ex-chief Nadeem Taj, two officers of army Major Ali and Major Iqbal along with leaders of Lashkar-e-Taiba Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhnavi and Hafiz Saeed of Jamaat Dawaa.

Present Chief of ISI Lt. General Shujaa Pasha

Major General Nadeem Taj, Ex-Chief ISI

We imagine that American officials were unaware from the activities of Brookline Court. However when in last month the reports were issued that there are possibilities of issuing summon to the Chief of an extremely important institution responsible for safety of Pakistan, then American rulers always pressurizing Pakistan to “Do More” in spite of resisting any such act kept purposely silent. In reaction to American court’s summons the family of an innocent Pakistani killed in Drone attack filed a case against higher officials of CIA and also requested to stop him from fleeing out of Pakistan for murder of innocent Pakistanis. After this with the haste Jonathan left Pakistan shows that his further stay might have resulted in his arrest or other problems for CIA. However his leaving Pakistan like criminals cleared it to the whole world that CIA is involved in illegal activities in Pakistan. The statement given by Prime Minister of Pakistan after the summons from USA court also needs attention. He had issued that statement in response to Opposition’s protest in parliament, Prime Minister said, “The Chiefs of ISI will not be sent to American court without their will, if they do not want to go to America no one can force them to go”. However this is a separate discussion, but the summons to Shujaa Pasha or Nadeem Taj is just a routine court activity? Or this is just to ensure Indian supervision in the region, force Pakistan to step back from Kashmir dispute and accept Indian role in Afghanistan?

A room of Nariman House (just like as a restaurant)

Whatever the reason is, Giving ISI under control of Rehman MAlik and issuance of notification on the night of 25^th July 2008 by Prime Minister, on the night of 26^thNovember 2008 of Mumbai attaks the demand from Indian Prime Minister that Chief of ISI visits New Delhi and acceptance from Pakistani side, the accuse of Indian Foreign Minister that ISI is involved in Mumbai attacks, arrest of agent of CIA “David Headley” and struggle to prove his links with ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba. And now summons from the American court, cancellation of bales of two police officers and their arrest in Benazir murder case, FIA’s declaration that it will include two on duty persons from ISI and MI, do not you think after looking all these that secretly some great plan to limit role of ISI in integrity of Pakistan and paralyze it is being fulfilled? Although many politicians have concerns about ISI’s political role which are based on facts and ISI should not have a political role but how much politicians are responsible for this role it should be discussed as well. In the 90s our politicians blamed agencies for their mutual disputes but the now their quarrel has gone far beyond personal problems. They are now openly humiliating each other, why? Just for being in power? But they should keep this reality in mind that all these are conditioned with integrity of country, if country is then there is politics and govt. and enjoyments of being in power…

Representatives of Jewish Organization ZAKA, going to Nariman House to receive dead bodies

Now let us come towards Mumbai's Nariman House and its inhabitants, they are trying to involve ISI in murder of those inhabitants. According to careful calculations Jews living in India number approximately to 6000 out of them 90% live in Mumbai. Mostly they are linked with education. The education standard of their schools is much better so that rich families from other provinces prefer to send their children to these schools. In the South of Mumbai on a coastal belt in well inhabited area the construction of Nariman house was completed 29 years ago (Jews call this building as “Chabad”). Nariman has been center of suspicious activities since last 29 years. Even the nearest neighbor’s are ignorant that this 6 storey building is being used for what purposes? Neighbors have been told that Nariman house is a cultural center which is used to serve tourists from abroad. However neighbors were aware that as night falls Nariman house awakes. When tourists came there and when they left, no one knew that. Neighbors also knew that young Jew “Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg” and his wife “Rivakh” are supervisors of the house and they are responsible for providing accommodation and food to tourists. Besides couple a maid “Sandra” also lived in house, she was responsible for taking care of their baby “Moshe”.

Jewish Couple: Gavriel and his wife Rivakh

According to journalist community media has been always kept in chaos about Nariman house, what happens there? When few journalists entered in this building on being invited by jews from USA, they tried to take some pictures they were stopped from doing so by saying, “In this way terrorists might be able to know the internal layout which will be beneficial for enemies”. When journalists asked who are those enemies, they changed topic. Journalists were further told that no one is allowed to take pictures even from outside. The journalists who visited this building included “Virendra Ghunawat” from local TV channel. On 27^th November 2008 when he was informed about attacks on Nariman house he went their along with his cameraman, the attacks have been launched about 24 hours ago. Building was under control of terrorists and Indian Commandoes were planning to enter into the building through helicopter from the rooftop. The police was standing at a far point. A good number of media personnel was present there. When Virendra started talks with local people a fisherman named as Vathal Tandal told him, “few days ago on the front coast of building 7 boats stopped, there were about 12 persons with harsh looks. They all were looking as local BHAI Log (Mumbai underworld persons). Boats were filled with different sized boxes and bags. They were first of all shifted to coast (Vathal Tandal helped them in unloading) afterwards they were shifted to Nariman house. Until all of the luggage was not shifted to the building few persons kept on guard”. Fisherman was astonished that all those persons riding on these boats might have been terrorists and possibly the luggage consisted of their ammunition. Fisherman raised this question to “Virendra”. This conversation was also heard by other journalists.

The conversation with fisherman was uploaded to different Indian News Websites. Vriendra also issued this conversation in the article “Mumbai Attack: Was Nariman House The Terror Hub” on a website named as “Mid day”. Virendra also included the conversation with a policeman who told gave him this information on the condition of keeping his name secret. Read in the own words of Police man.

“The role that Nariman House is coming to play in this attack drama, is puzzling. Last night residents ordered close to 100 Kilograms of meat and other food, enough to feed an army or a bunch of people for twenty days. Shortly thereafter the ten militants moved in, obviously indicating that the food and meet was ordered, keeping their visit in mind”.

Sandra along with young Moshe who succeeded in escaping from Nariman House attack

These are just two examples  otherwise local newspapers of Mumbai are filled with questions about Nariman house. After the incident important thing about that supervisors of Nariman house Rabbi Gavriel and his wife are told as American nationals, in their accuse court of Brookline has issued summon to ISI chief while after the incident their dead bodies were received by agents of extremist Jewish organization A.K.A established in Israel and were their dead bodies were taken to Israel. Moreover the journalists of Mumbai also raise this question when terrorists killed all the persons in Nariman House (their number is told as six) then how Sandra (maid) escaped with “Moshe”? Why journalists have not been allowed to talk with Sandra, why have not investigated from her, at least why Sandra has been kept away from media? Whether terrorists left her or she succeeded to flee? Sandra can tell that what language terrorists were speaking? There are hundreds of such questions which people of Mumbai want to ask from their police, investigators, secret agencies and govt. The most important question is how terrorists from Pakistan succeeded in entering into Nariman House? The neighbors of this house are ignorant about this Jewish Center then how terrorists knew about its internal layout? But no one is there to answer these questions. Why should Indian govt. reply these questions while its purpose is being fulfilled? For the whole incident Pakistan, Pakistani Secret agencies and freedom fighters of Kashmir has been accused. The world is silent over the genocide of Kashmiri people in Held Kashmir and busy in assuring India that they all will pressurize Pakistan that by punishing Pakistanis for Mumbai attacks Pakistan confesses the crime. While neither Pakistan nor any Pakistani is involved in these attacks at all but RAW of India. There is one solution of this problem that Pakistani media should raise its voice against this. It should tell the world by analyzing every moment of Mumbai drama that it is based on lie. Enough is enough stop insulting Pakistan and Pakistanis…

About Article

Article By Khalid Baig

Russian Air Force to receive up to 100 Sukhoi fighter jets by 2015

07:55 02/01/2011
MOSCOW, January 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Air Force will receive up to 100 Sukhoi fighter jets by 2015, the Defense Ministry spokesman said on Sunday.
Three state contracts with the Sukhoi design bureau on the supply of the jets have been already signed, Vladimir Drik said.
Fifty advanced Su-35 Flanker-E multirole fighters, billed as "4++ generation using fifth-generation technology," more than ten advanced Su-27SM Flanker multirole jets and five Su-30M2 Flanker-C multirole fighters are among the aircraft to be supplied.
The Russian Air Force will also receive twenty-five new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in the next few years, the spokesman said.

Most Chinese doubt superpower status for China

Most Chinese doubt superpower status for China

Most Chinese doubt superpower status for China

December 31st, 2010 | Global Times

Despite an increase in national pride, the Chinese public seems more cautious in evaluating the country’s relative international strength, with fewer people in this year’s Global Times survey categorizing China as a world superpower, compared with the previous four annual polls.

Despite wide acknowledgement of China’s economic might and its political and diplomatic leverage – the two major parameters in defining a superpower – only 12 percent of respondents deemed China to be a “superpower,” down by 14.4 percent from 2008.

In all, 57 percent of respondents voted China as the most promising emerging nation among BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), a 10 percent drop from last year’s result.

“The result shows that Chinese people are becoming more objective when considering these issues,” said Wu Xinbo, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University.

The diplomatic rows China encountered this year fueled public awareness about the difficult factors China will face as it continue to grow, he added.

Conducted by the Global Poll Center run by the Global Times, the poll is based on telephone interviews of a random sampling of 1,488 people in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chongqing to analyze how Chinese see the world.

The patriotism of Chinese people is seen in the findings, with China topping the US as the most favored country to travel in.

Additionally, 19 percent of participants selected the US as the foreign country they would most like to visit, followed by France, with 21 percent saying they had no desire to visit foreign countries.

More than half of participants in the survey said China’s international status was boosted in the past year by the Shanghai World Expo, while more than 60 percent denounced corrupt officials for tarnishing China’s global image.

The poll also reflects the belief that the quality of “made-in-China” products is gradually getting better, with 80 percent of those polled expressing their hope that improvements were being made.

This positive attitude also extends outside the Chinese border, with 84 percent of respondents optimistic on the future global setting for China’s rise, seeing either improving or stabilizing ties with other major global players.

More than a third of respondents saw the relationship between China and Europe improve during the past year, with fewer negative factors such as trade friction, human rights and religious issues compared with previous years.

Ties with South Korea, drawing more attention in this latest survey, were seen stabilized without dramatic changes, with 46 percent of respondents saying the tensions on the Korean Peninsula will be eased in the coming year due to China’s diplomatic role.

Su Hao, director of the Strategy and Conflict Management Research Center at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that the result showed that Chinese people have high expectations for China to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Looking at relations with Japan, more than half of participants said the ties were unlikely to deteriorate next year.

However, the poll also shone a light on concerns, with more than 80 percent of the participants expressing their worries about Western intentions to contain China’s development, with around 40 percent calling for countermeasures to be taken against threats to China.

Among the issues of greatest concern, US intentions to strategically contain China placed ahead of trade disputes as the most important bilateral issue this year. Ties with Washington were chosen as the most significant bilateral relationship for China for the fifth consecutive year.

Jin Canrong, vice director of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that the survey findings reflect the dynamics of this year with the US strengthening its presence in Asia.

“Some Chinese people remain suspicious of the outside world, especially the Western countries. They still don’t trust these countries,” he said.

Equipment Modernization vs. "Modernization" of the Indian Army.

Equipment Modernization vs. "Modernization" of the Indian Army.

Modernization vs "Modernization"


Piecemeal 'modernization' is of no use to anyone. All arms have gone through two and a half modernisation cycles since independence. For people with less than the usual quota of a sense of humour it amounts to a three-legged arms race in which the Joneses are driving the Javeds, Joshis and Jiangs to follow suit.

At least with the Indian Army it is not really so. It is conscious of working out an edge or even proximate ability to see that a catastrophic disadvantage does not undermine operational viability. Even the most articulate and vehement critic would agree that the army is appreciative of what the country has provided to it in material, though it is somewhat hard pressed to do so.

Equipment modernisation alone is not sufficient. Or else, any banana republic collecting martial objets d'art for gracing the palace gates of the head of state would constitute a formidable foe. Modernization of the Indian Army gives rise to paradoxes of time and meaning. It constitutes in its basic form the timeless creed of the warriors and their feeling of comradeship in war and pestilence. The individual styles of the arms actually complement each other in combat. The pivot is the ability of field commanders to accept organizational, doctrinal, and equipment changes (not in that order) plus a finer perception of the strategic issues involved. With that, is their ability to mix individual assets into a combined arms and logistics team of very high combat worth.

It is in this narrow area that modernization is usually talked about. By themselves, 'equipment' may just remain well-produced ironmongery or an intricate series of integrated circuits. But when these are synthesized in a complementary mix, they come to life - and present a threat out of all proportion to their arithmetical aggregate on inventory.

Overall, the Indian Army is adequately equipped. There certainly remain areas where improvements or 'modernization' is pending, but that does not, in any way, detract from the fact that overall the Army has achieved a dissuasive quality, in which a potential aggressor will go into lip-biting conclave before deciding upon a violent course of action.

The mechanized armies in the Western Sector are mobile, balanced groupings of high striking power. The fine synthesization of cutting-edge weaponry into high-value, capital-intensive combat groups is seen at it's best here. The T-72, BMP series Infantry Combat Vehicle, Anti-tank Guided Missiles of many varieties, Aviation, fast reconnaissance vehicles, the FH-77/B-02 Medium Gun together with a number of other field pieces indigenously designed and developed, varieties of self-propelled air defence missile and gun systems, 'Black' Electronic Warfare arrays, first-class assault bridging for dry and wet crossings are found together in supportive mixes. Here, all ballyhoo of We are the queens/kings of the battlefield' is easily given a quiet burial.

In the mountains, it is light infantry and artillery, supported by engineers, signals, helicopters and animals which make for the combined-arms approach. The most visible manifestation of modernization in equipment is in Siachen, which without these assets, can not be garrisoned much less defended. This includes a combative logistical infrastructure to prevail 'AGAINST ALL ODDS'

Pakistan vs India:Military evaluation,separating boys from men

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Background: India achieved its independence from imperial Britain in 1947, after which it was divided into two countries - India and Pakistan, as per the Mountbatten Plan. After this partition, Pakistan chose to be an Islamic republic, aligned with United States while India chose to remain politically neutral, as a secular socialist democracy. These choices turned out to the the turning points in the political and military future of both these countries.



Please note that what follows is not an evaluation of military power in combat situations, but a brief review of quantitative military balance, based on currently available manpower, equipments, infrastructure, command and strategy. Future military plans and projects are not discussed due to uncertain and volatile nature of such plans, often subject to cancellation, failure or modification. (For example, the Indian Agni 3 missile is not under consideration, as it is still under development and testing stage.)
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Military Budgets and Economic Impact

Pakistan’s defence budget for the year 2006-07 was $4.1 billion (~3% of GDP) in response to India’s hike in defence budget of 2006-07 at $20.11 billion (~ 2.5% of GDP). Pakistan’s hike in military budget would be partially funded by its government coffers and partially by borrowing whereas India’s military spending would be entirely off its own funds. India’s ambitious budget prompted Pakistan to up its own military budget, despite the country’s widespread poverty and socio-political problems. Apart from its GDP, Pakistani military also gets a considerable funding from United States. Considering that India has a far larger economy overall, its military budget is also several times larger, despite being a smaller share of India’s GDP.

Manpower and Ground Forces

As of 2005, India has the second largest military manpower in the world - at 3,773,300 personell, next only to China. Pakistan’s manpower of 1,449,000 personell, although smaller in numbers, is proportionally higher than India in terms of their population ratios. Pakistan’s ground forces are equipped with American or Chinese weapons like FIM 92 Stinger SAMs, BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles, T-82 tanks and other equipments. Indian ground forces are equipped with mostly home-made and Soviet technologies like IR guided 9K35 Strela-10 SAMs, 3rd Gen IR guided Nag anti-tank missiles, UAVs and a large inventory of tanks and support vehicles. In terms of both numbers and equipments, Indian military dominates the Pakistani ground forces.



Comparison of Air Forces

As of 2006, Indian Air Force (IAF) has over 170,000 personnel and 3,382 aircrafts, of which 1,330 are combat aircrafts operating off 61 airbases - making it the fourth largest air force in the world. India’s strike fighters consist of Russian and French aircrafts like Mikoyan MiG-29, Dassault Mirage 2000, Sukhoi Su-30 - the last one developed under dual licensing by HAL, India’s aerospace industry in Bangalore. In addition to these, Indian Air Force also owns ground attack aircrafts, reconnaissance aircrafts, UAVs and support helicopters - a majority of them either of Soviet or French origin. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has about 530 combat aircrafts and 65,000 active personnel, operating out of 9 airbases. Its strike fighters consist of US, Chinese and ageing French fighters like F-16 Fighting Falcon, JF-17 Thunder and Dassault Mirage ROSE-III. It also has transport aircrafts like Lockheed Martin C-130 and Airbus A310, however unlike India, there are no UAVs or reconnaissance aircrafts in the Pakistani Air Force.



Naval and Sea Based Forces

After the overwhelming losses in the 1971 war against India, Pakistan rapidly increased the size of its naval fleet which doubled in the 1980s after a massive 3.2 billion dollar military and economic aid by US President Ronald Reagan. At present, Pakistan’s navy owns over 45 vessels , most of them of US or European origin which include submarines, destroyers, frigates, patrol and mine warfare boats. It operates from its sole naval port in Karachi and sometimes from naval facilities in UK, USA and France. It had recently been involved in various humanitarian operations during the 2005 Tsunami in South East Asia. Indian Navy on the other hand, is a three dimensional naval force consisting of missile-capable warships, an aircraft carrier, mine sweepers and a host of marine aircrafts. Most of the warships in the Indian navy are indigenously built in its own dockyards. The navy operates from its major naval bases in Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Goa and the Andaman Islands. Indian Navy has significant capabilities of being a true blue water Navy and is experienced both in war and peacekeeping operations in the Indian Ocean.



The Nuclear Club

India tested a nuclear bomb in 1974 using materials from Canada and technical help from Soviet Union. However, the embargo on heavy water export from Canada after the test stalled India’s nuclear ambitions till 1998, when it shocked the world by conducting five nuclear detonations termed as Shakti tests. The highest yield was by a 48 kiloton staged fusion device, which India claimed was a thermonuclear bomb but seismic data on the tests proved otherwise. In the same year 1998, Pakistan conducted a series of six nuclear detonations in a test termed as Chagai. The highest yield was reported to be about 25 kiloton from a two stage boosted device. At present Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile is slated to be around 30-40 warheads while India possesses 70-100 warheads. The nuclearisation of India and Pakistan became a turning point in the history of conflicts between these two countries with high tensions but no war, not very much unlike the US vs USSR Cold War



Ballistic and Cruise Missile Proliferation

In the nuclear delivery front, both India and Pakistan have a series of ballistic and cruise missiles in addition to ground attack aircrafts. The maximum range among India’s operational ballistic missiles is 2000 km achieved by Agni-2.(Note:Agni 3 already tested!) India’s Agni ballistic missiles are indigenously developed by its own missile defence industry known as IGMDP. The maximum range among Pakistan’s missiles is by Hatf V Gauri which is reported to do over 2200 kms. Pakistan’s Hatf missiles are based on North Korean No-Dong series of IRBMs. Both Pakistan’s Hatf and India’s Agni ballistic missiles are nuclear capable. India has also developed a supersonic cruise missile BrahMos which is by far the fastest cruise missile at Mach 2.6 and maximum range of 290 km. It is reported to be nuclear capable but it is not confirmed yet. On the Pakistan side, its Babur cruise missile has a reported range of 700 km and a maximum speed of 880 km/h (Mach 0.7). As with India BrahMos, Babur is also reported to be nuclear capable but there is no confirmation yet.



The Final Verdict

Both Pakistan and India are almost evenly matched head to head in nuclear and missile fronts,however India has strategic and technological superiority over the conventional forces of Pakistan.Indian Navy is larger in fleet and personnel size with a more varied range of ships including an aircraft carrier while Pakistan’s Navy is smaller and has no aircraft carriers. Indian’s IAF is equipped with highly capable fighters like 4.5th generation Su-30s(NOTE:India has already ordered 250 5th gen PAK FA!,built jointly by Russia and India,Pakistan has no such capabilities nor plans) and 4th gen Mirage 2000s which are technologically superior to Pakistan PAF’s F-16s and Mirage IIIs. Additionally Indian pilots are better trained and more capable in air combat than Pakistani forces as was demonstrated by its various wars with Pakistan or joint exercises with US and UK. In the area of conventional ground forces both the Indian as well as Pakistani Army is well equipped and highly trained to survive in extremities of topography and climate in combat conditions, like wars in the high Himalayas.



If a purely conventional war were to take place between both these countries, India would most likely overpower Pakistan owing to its superior military technology and infrastructure, larger manpower, more territorial area and a strategic advantage in its sea and air forces. It must also be noted that a war between these two countries will matter more than India’s conventional superiority as both these nations are nuclear powers on an equal deadlock. India has maintained a ‘no first use’ nuclear policy in the lines of a similar policy by China while Pakistan does not have any such policy, considering their only hope against India is in nuclear deterrance. It would be risky for India at the present scenario to go into any aggressive war against Pakistan as the repercussions would be serious a nuclear devastation for both countries.
India vs Pakistan - Evaluation on Military Strengths | Aby The Liberal
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Nuclear use will be a serious devastation for both,considering Pakistan's size and India's,Pakistan would be at a risk of destruction.

Don't dance upon the article,it is from a famous website and not from a Pakstani or an Indian.

II. The Arjun Mark-II, Future MBT of the IA.

Announced specs/upgrades by the DRDO

The FMBT's are intended to replace the T-72 MBTs in the Indian Army in a post-2020 situation.

"For engine development, we have formed a national team comprising members from the academia, the user, industry and the DRDO. We have also gone in for an international consultant."

"We are confident that we will be ready with the FMBT prototype in five to seven years."

"We are trying to involve all the stakeholders -- the user [the Army], quality control personnel and the production agency -- in this project and the industry will be our partner. We will go for a modular design so that we can always upgrade the tank when new technology comes in."

"The immediate task for the CVRDE [Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment] is to develop the Arjun-Mk II tank and demonstrate it to the user and go for the production of 124 numbers in the HVF (Heavy Vehicles Factory]."

"With this upgrade, the commander can carry out his hunting job at night with his thermal sight and engage targets more effectively."

"The penalty for using these bricks (explosive armor reactive panel) is that they will add 1.5 tonnes to the tank's weight. But we can prevent top attack and side attack. We can add to the tank's protection from missiles and rocket-propelled grenades."

-- S. Sundaresh, Chief Controller (Armaments and Combat Engineering), DRDO.


* FMBT's engine will be two-thirds the size of Arjun Mark I MBT's engine and will generate 1,500-horsepower. First prototype of the indigenous engine would be ready by 2016. FMBT will weigh 50 tonnes.

* Project to develop the transmission for the tank is being launched. Engine and transmission ( aka "Bharat Power Pack") will meet the FMBT's mobility requirements.

* Volume occupied by the electronics package will be low.

* A total of 93 upgrades, including the advanced air defence gun system for firing at attack helicopters. Missiles firing capability to destroy long-range targets and bring down attack helicopters.

* Panoramic sight with night vision for the tank's commander. An automatic target tracking system to add accuracy when firing on a moving target.

* Explosive reactive armor panel which will comprise explosives in metallic brick form. These bricks will be mounted all round the MBT. When the enemy ammunition hits these bricks, they will explode and retard the energy of the projectile. Tanks armor will not be penetrated.

* Improvements in material, fuel injection and filtration technologies will contribute to the reduction in the engine size without compromising on power.

* Indian Army has placed an intent for production of 124 Arjun-Mk II tanks.

* Phase I, 45 tanks will roll out with 56 upgrades, including the missile firing capability and the commander's panoramic sight with night vision.

* Phase II, the remaining 79 tanks, with all the 93 improvements, will come off the assembly line. “By 2013-14, the first batch of around 30 tanks will go out,” Dr. Sivakumar said.

* 124 Arjun-Mk II tanks would cost Rs.5,000 crores.

Israel could strike Iran without US help: WikiLeaks

Updated at: 1152 PST,  Monday, January 03, 2011  WASHINGTON: The United States has told France that Israel could strike Iran without US military support but the operation might not be successful, according to a leaked document published. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave his assessment at a meeting on February 8 in Paris with former French defense minister Herve Morin, according to a secret summary of the session that was posted on WikiLeaks, part of a massive document dump of classified cables. Asked by Morin if Israel had the capability to strike Iran without US assistance, Gates "responded that he didn't know if they would be successful, but that Israel could carry out the operation," it said. But Gates downplayed the value of any military operation against Iran, according to the document. The American defense secretary told Morin that he "believed a conventional strike by any nation would only delay Iranian plans by one to three years, while unifying the Iranian people to be forever embittered against the attacker," it said.

 US diplomats pushed Boeing deals: cables

 Updated at: 1451 PST,  Monday, January 03, 2011
 WASHINGTON: US diplomats have on several occasions intervened to convince foreign governments to buy aircraft from Boeing rather than its European rival Airbus, newly released diplomatic cables show.

The cables, obtained by the New York Times from the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, document several incidents in which diplomats were involved in haggling over the billion-dollar deals seen as key to US economic growth.

One cable describes Saudi King Abdullah responding favorably to a personal request from then-president George W. Bush in 2006 that he buy as many as 43 Boeing jets for Saudi Arabian Airlines and another 13 for the royal fleet.

But the king "wanted to have all the technology that his friend, President Bush, had on Air Force One," the cable said.

Once the king's own plane was outfitted with the world's most advanced telecommunications and defense equipment, "'God willing,' he will make a decision that will 'please you very much,'" the cable said.

In November, state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines said it had signed a contract for 12 new Boeing 777-300ER jets worth some 3.3 billion dollars.

The State Department confirmed to the Times that it had authorized an "upgrade" to the king's plane but declined to provide further details on security grounds.

In another incident, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina demanded landing rights for its national carrier at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport as a condition for a Boeing deal.

"If there is no New York route, what is the point of buying Boeing," she was quoted as saying in a November 2009 cable.

The deal went through, but so far Biman Bangladesh Airlines has not been given the landing rights, the Times said.

The Times said such practices have continued despite decades-old agreements between US and European leaders to keep politics out of airline deals.

But State Department officials interviewed by the newspaper defended their involvement, saying such high-value exports were crucial to US President Barack Obama's efforts to pull the country out of its economic slump.

"That is the reality of the 21st century; governments are playing a greater role in supporting their companies, and we need to do the same thing," Robert Hormats, under secretary of state for economic affairs, told the Times.

Airbus may receive similar aid: other US cables cited by the Times describe the Bush administration and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's government
scrambling to win a jet deal from oil-rich Bahrain in 2007.

In the end, US diplomats convinced Bahrain to buy from Boeing after linking the signing of the deal to an upcoming visit by Bush in January 2008, the first-ever by a sitting US president, the Times said.

Washington has been infuriated by WikiLeaks and launched its own criminal investigation into the disclosure of the documents.

WikiLeaks has argued that its release of documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the inner workings of US diplomacy exposes US military abuses on the battlefield and "contradictions between the US's public persona and what it says behind closed doors."

On Sunday, Republican Representative Darrell Issa blamed US Attorney General Eric Holder for failing to bring criminal charges against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.

Issa, who takes over as the chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform committee, said that "the world is laughing at this paper tiger we've become."

He said legislation would be swiftly taken up by his committee, "so the diplomats can do their job with confidence and people can talk to our government with confidence."

Assange is on bail in Britain fighting a bid by Sweden to extradite him over allegations of sexual assault made by two women. His strict bail conditions include reporting to police daily and wearing an electronic tag.

Assange threatens to name Arab leaders with CIA ties

Updated at: 1254 PST,  Monday, January 03, 2011  LONDON: Julian Assange, the founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, came out swinging against some high-level Arab officials in an interview with an Arab TV Channel, saying they maintain close ties with the CIA and are spies for the U.S. intelligence agency in their respective countries. Top officials in several Arab countries have close links with the CIA, and many officials keep visiting U.S. embassies in their respective countries voluntarily to establish links with CIA. These officials are spies for the U.S. in their countries, he was quoted in media reports as saying in the interview. Assange also alleged that a number of Arab countries run special torture centers where U.S. authorities dispatch suspects for "interrogation and torture." The WikiLeaks founder did not disclose the identities of Arab officials with alleged links to the CIA. The interviewer said Assange had previously showed him documents with some of their names.

US Navy introduces smoking ban on submarines

Updated at: 1153 PST,  Monday, January 03, 2011  WASHINGTON: Giving up smoking may be a New Year's resolution for some, but all US sailors will now have to follow suit, as the US Navy moves to ban its crews from smoking aboard submarines starting Friday. In a country where fights against Big Tobacco are common, troops deprived of fresh air and natural light for months were surprisingly allowed to smoke in submerged submarines. But no more, after a Pentagon study found the risks of second-hand smoke were severe in those highly confined spaces. Submarine Forces Commander Vice Admiral John Donnelly ordered the ban aboard 73 US subs, citing health concerns. "Our sailors are our most important asset to accomplishing our missions," he said in announcing the measure in April. "Recent testing has proven that, despite our atmosphere purification technology, there are unacceptable levels of secondhand smoke in the atmosphere of a submerged submarine. The only way to eliminate risk to our non-smoking sailors is to stop smoking aboard our submarines." About 40 percent of the 13,000 US submarine sailors smoke -- double the US national average. The order comes 16 years after a ban on smoking in military buildings and installations, as well as aboard US Navy ships. Sailors are, however, allowed to smoke on the decks of surface ships. US submarine sailors are also bracing for another major change with women being allowed to serve aboard submarines for the first time starting late next year or in early 2012. British submarine sailors are allowed to smoke on board, while the French have banned the practice except on decks when the submarine is out of the water.

'Five Maoist rebels' shot dead in eastern India

The Maoist rebels are active in a large swathe of India

Police in India say at least five Maoist militants were shot dead by security forces early on Sunday in the eastern state of Orissa.

Police and paramilitaries carried out a raid on the rebels' forest camps overnight, during which there was a lengthy exchange of fire.
Several of the dead are women.
India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has described the Maoist insurgency as the country's biggest internal security challenge.
A major government offensive was launched against them last year in five states, including Orissa.
Last month, Maoist rebels killed seven villagers in India's West Bengal state.
The rebels are believed to be active in more than two-thirds of the country.
They say they are fighting for the rights of the rural poor.

Russia's airlines must ground their Tu-154B planes, after a fire in Siberia which killed three people, the country's transport watchdog says.

At least 43 were injured when the plane, carrying 124 people, burst into flames before take-off from Surgut.
Russia's transport safety regulator said the ban would remain in place until the cause of the disaster had been established.
The "black box" voice and data recorders have been recovered.
The plane exploded in a fireball on Saturday.
The Tu-154B is one version of the Tu-154 dates from the Soviet era, and is used extensively on domestic air routes in Russia and the former Soviet Union.
There are 14 Tu-154Bs still in service in Russia, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.
Powerful blast The Kolavia plane was taxiing for a flight to Moscow, when a fire started in one of its engines, an emergency services spokesman said.

The fire then caused a powerful blast which destroyed the plane and caused flames across an area of 100 square metres, he said.
Most of the passengers were evacuated before the explosion.
"There was a thick, black smoke and people started to panic. They were literally stepping on each other's heads," said Sergei Grigoriyev, a singer with the band Na-Na who were on board.
"I saw my life flash before me," he said, according to Itar-Tass news agency.
Fellow band member Vladimir Politov said the group had escaped out an emergency exit over the wing and were all unharmed.
The Tu-154 entered service in the 1970s but a series of crashes triggered concerns over its safety record.
Russia's national carrier airline Aeroflot took all its remaining 23 Tu-154 aircraft out of service in January 2010.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed last year when a Polish Airforce Tu-154 crashed in western Russia.

South Korea stands firm against North's 'adventurism'

President Lee talked tough but said the door to talks remained open with the North

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Inside North Korea

• Volunteers bolster S Korean army
• Why border hot-spot is war relic
• Rare peek into China-N Korea ties
• Alliance under strain

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has said the door is open to new dialogue with North Korea.

However, the North should abandon its "military adventurism" first, he said.
Seoul would respond strongly to any threat against "an inch of our territory", he said, but with sincerity, progress could be made.
Mr Lee's New Year's speech on Monday came two days after Pyongyang delivered a mixed message of openness to talks and increased military posture.
The US envoy responsible for policy toward North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, is scheduled to visit Seoul on Tuesday before going on to China and Japan.
The US envoy for nuclear talks with the North, Sung Kim, will accompany him to Seoul and Beijing.
'Stern responses' The past year has been tense on the Korean peninsula, with the alleged torpedoing of a South Korean warship by the North in March, and the North's shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
That attack on 23 November, the first on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War, was a defining moment for South Korea, said Mr Lee.

South Korea has carried out a number of military exercises recently

"The situation before and after the provocation against Yeonpyeong Island cannot be the same," Mr Lee said.
"Any provocation that would pose a threat to our lives and property will not be tolerated. Such provocations will be met with stern, strong responses.
"The shelling of Yeonpyeong Island also served as an opportunity for us to reflect on our security readiness and overhaul our defence posture.
"There cannot be any delay in establishing security measures," he said.
Four South Koreans were killed, including civilians, and the damage to ordinary people's homes drove home the reality of the threat behind the regular exchanges of words between North and South.
Mr Lee had been criticised for responding weakly to the shelling, but he has since replaced the defence minister, and overseen huge new military exercises with the United States.
After months of refusing to countenance any talks until the North apologised for March's warship incident - in which 46 South Korean sailors died - Mr Lee first hinted at a possibility of talks six days ago.
"If the North exhibits sincerity, we have both the will and the plan to drastically enhance economic cooperation together with the international community," he said in his latest speech.
"The North must come to the realisation that nothing can be gained through military adventurism.... Nuclear weapons and military adventurism must be discarded."
"I remind the North that the path to peace is still open. The door for dialogue is still open," he added.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, since no peace treaty was signed after the 1950-53 Korean conflict.
The six-party talks which involved aid for North Korea in return for progress in dismantling its nuclear programme, fell apart in April 2009 after the US and South Korea criticised a North Korean nuclear test.

Iran 'shoots down Western spy drones' in Gulf

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Iran's Revolutionary Guards have shot down two "Western spy drones" in the Gulf, a senior Iranian commander has been quoted as saying.

"Many" other drones have been shot down over an unspecified period of time, the Fars news agency quoted him as saying.
The head of the Revolutionary Guards' air force wing, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, produced no evidence to support the report.
He said this was the first time news of the incidents had been reported.
The drones were mainly being used in Iraq and Afghanistan but "some violations against our soil" had also occurred, the commander said.
The Revolutionary Guards were set up following the Islamic revolution in 1979, and its commanders have frequently delivered warnings to Israel.
Last August Iran unveiled what it said was its first domestically built drone, the Karrar.
It said it had a range of 1,000km (620 miles) and could carry two 250-pound (115kg) bombs, or a precision bomb of 500 pounds.
There is no independent corroboration of the latest Iranian claims.
The Fifth Fleet of the US navy is based in Bahrain, on the other side of the Gulf from Iran.
Iranian commanders have threatened to block shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz if it is attacked.