Pak, Russia to hold joint exercise
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS? First drill after decades of rivalry reflects growing military ties between the two countries
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: A Russian mechanised infantry unit arrived in Pakistan on Friday for the first military exercise between the two Cold War rivals, with reports suggesting part of the high altitude drill would be conducted in territory claimed by India.
Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, head of the Pakistani military’s media arm, tweeted photos of the Russian troops after they flew into an airbase in Rawalpindi, squelching speculation that Moscow would call off the wargame in the wake of the . “A contingent of Russian ground forces arrived in Pakistan for first ever Pak- Russian joint exercise (two weeks) from September 24 to October 10,” Bajwa said. The Russian contingent was warmly welcomed by senior Pakistan Army officials before it left for the training venue.
About 200 soldiers from each side will join the two-week exercise “Druzhba 2016” (Friendship 2016), which is expected to focus on high-altitude warfare.
Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported on Friday the exercise’s opening ceremony would be held at the “Pakistan Army’s High Altitude School in Rattu, Gilgit-Baltistan” on Saturday. A statement issued late on Friday night by the Russian embassy in New Delhi, however, said the “only venue of the exercise is Cherat” in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. The statement said the drill will not be held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or any “sensitive or problematic” areas like Gilgit-Baltistan.
New Delhi had conveyed to Moscow its concerns that part of the drill would be held at a military facility in Gilgit-Baltistan, which was part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and is claimed by India. Following the Uri attack that killed 18 soldiers, sections of the Indian media reported that India had prevailed on Russia to call off the exercise.
External affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup referred to plans for manoeuvres in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday and said this was “part of Indian territory”. New Delhi’s “well known sensitivities” had been conveyed to Moscow, he said.
The drill reflects the growing military-to-military ties between Pakistan and Russia, whose relations were strained for decades following the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. The two sides have taken several steps to improve ties as India’s military procurements moved away from Russia to the US and Israel.
The Pakistani media reported the joint exercise indicates a steady growth in ties between the two countries. Pakistan’s envoy to Russia, Qazi Khalilullah, said the exercise also reflected the increased cooperation between the two sides.
“This indicates a desire on both sides to broaden defence cooperation,” he told a Russian news agency. The chiefs of Pakistan’s army, navy and air force have also visited Russia over the past 15 months.