Shaurya Path: Talks with Brigadier Tripathi on issues related to India-Canada, Israel-Gaza, Russia-Ukraine War and China-Myanmar

This week in Sarkari Result Daily News Network’s special program Shaurya Path, we talked to Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi ji ( Retired). Here is the detailed interview-

Answer- The incident of attack on Hindu temple in Brampton, Canada is very worrying. He said this points to a kind of political space being given to extremist forces in Canada. He said that the main issue between the two countries is that Canada is giving opportunity to pro-Khalistan elements operating from its soil without any hindrance. He said Canada has made it a habit to make allegations without giving specific details. Apart from this, Canada keeps surveillance on the Indian diplomats present there, which India has declared unacceptable.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also strongly condemned the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada and said that the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats are appalling. He said that such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. He said the Government of Canada must ensure that all places of worship are protected from such attacks.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said that as far as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is concerned, he could never understand that most of the Sikhs living there are secular and they do not want to have anything to do with Khalistan. He said Trudeau’s stance has strengthened Khalistani extremists and created an atmosphere of fear among moderate Sikhs. He said that due to Trudeau’s policies, the Khalistani separatist movement has now become a Canadian problem. He said that most Sikhs do not want to have anything to do with Khalistan. He said Trudeau never really understood that most Sikhs hold secular viewpoints. He said that Khalistanis are not a majority but due to fear no one speaks against them.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said that it is the result of Justin Trudeau’s mistakes that today Canadians consider Khalistanis and Sikhs as one, as if if someone is a Sikh, he is a Khalistani supporter. He said that most of the eight lakh Sikhs living in Canada do not support the Khalistan movement. He said that Indians living in Canada understand that Trudeau is following the policy of divide and rule, hence they are going to face a big shock in the upcoming elections. He said that all the leaders of Canada’s ruling and opposition parties have been critical of Trudeau’s anti-India activities and are calling it harmful for their country. He said that the appeasement politics which Trudeau is considering as a deal for his political gains is actually causing great harm to Canada. He also said that he will never succeed in dividing the Indian society.

Answer: Israeli forces intensified the bombardment of the Gaza Strip and ordered more people to evacuate the area, causing a new wave of displacement in northern Gaza. He said that Palestinians in this area fear that if they go out, they will not be able to return. Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said at least 10 people were killed and several others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a school for displaced families in the Shatti refugee camp in Gaza City, he said. He said this shows that Israel is not going to stop until the complete destruction of Hamas.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said that Palestinian officials say that Israel is carrying out a campaign of “ethnic cleansing”. The Israeli army, on the other hand, says it was forced to evacuate Jabaliya and begin clearing nearby Beit Lahiya to combat Hamas militants. Israel believes that Hamas terrorists are camping in this area. He said that the extent of damage caused in Gaza can be gauged from the fact that the United Nations Human Rights Office has said that about 70% of those killed in the Gaza war were women and children. He said that the United Nations Human Rights Office has described it as a systematic violation of the basic principles of international humanitarian law.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said that the Israeli Prime Minister was in the news this week because he took a surprising step and removed his Defense Minister Yaav Galant from the post. He said that his decision has given rise to many questions as the former minister was responsible for many important decisions regarding the Iran-Israel war. At the same time, this change comes at a time when Israel is fighting a war on multiple fronts, he said. He said Israel’s PM Netanyahu cited a ‘crisis of trust’ as the reason for Gallant’s removal, which was ‘gradually deepening.’ “In the midst of war, complete trust is required between the prime minister and the defense minister,” Netanyahu said. He said that after disputes with Netanyahu and recent tensions over conscription law, it was clear that Gallant would be dismissed. He said that it was just a question of time and finally that time has come.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said Gallant’s tensions with Netanyahu escalated in the middle of last year when Israel was divided over Netanyahu’s campaign to curb the powers of the Supreme Court. He said there were massive protests against Netanyahu’s move, which critics saw as an attack on democracy. As the protests grew, Gallant made statements against Netanyahu’s plan, saying it endangered national security, he said. Netanyahu had made the first attempt to fire him then, but abandoned this step when hundreds of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in support of the Defense Minister. He said that apart from this, a big reason for removing Gallant from the post could also be that Netanyahu seems to be close to victory and in such a situation he would not want to share the credit for the success. He said that another possible reason is believed to be that the Israeli Prime Minister has made a major change in his military strategy through which he wants to achieve victory on every front as soon as possible. He said that Gallant had always been raising questions on the Israeli Prime Minister’s military strategies, so perhaps Netanyahu felt that his policies could be moved forward only by removing Gallant.

Answer: Donald Trump has been saying during the campaign that the agreement will be on Russia’s terms and Ukraine will have to give up whatever part Russia has occupied so far. He said that after Trump’s arrival, Russia has made its military campaign more aggressive because Putin wants to get more and more part of Ukraine under his control by the time Trump takes command of America on January 20. He said that Putin’s strategy is that if Russia has to compromise even if it retreats a little, then it will withdraw from the areas which it will now occupy. He said that till now Russia has captured 22 percent of Ukraine and if it captures more than 25 percent by January, then Ukraine is going to suffer a big loss.

Brigadier Shri DS Tripathi (Retd) said that in case of war in Ukraine, Trump may try to force Kiev and Moscow for a ceasefire at least on the existing front. This could potentially include a permanent agreement that would have an arrangement for the territories occupied by Russia and includes areas occupied since the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He said it was also likely that Trump would accede to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands to prevent Ukraine from becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the future. He said it would also be a significant pressure on Kiev’s European allies in view of Trump’s negative attitude towards NATO. He said Trump could once again threaten European countries to leave the alliance to sign an agreement with Putin on the Ukraine issue. He said that the Ukraine war is at the top of Trump’s agenda, so the world hopes that this war is now on the verge of ending.

Answer: In February 2021, Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing went on his first visit to China after ousting the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. He said the significant losses Myanmar has suffered during the civil war have raised questions about how long he will remain in power. Therefore, his visit to China, an important ally, neighbor and Myanmar’s largest trading partner, is very important. He said that however this is not a state visit. However, Hlaing’s visit to China shows that Beijing sees him as an essential part of the resolution of the conflict in Myanmar, he said. He said that after the coup in Myanmar, Hlaing has created a distinct identity. He said the few foreign trips he has taken since 2021 have been mainly to Russia, a staunch ally of Myanmar. He said that China probably wants to play a role in establishing peace in Myanmar. It remains to be seen what other facts emerge in the coming days regarding Hlaing’s visit to China.