LAHORE -Sleepless Night in India as Pakistan and Russian Militaries touch anew peak of strategic cooperation.
Indian and Russian Militaries have been traditional cold war era allies andRussian Military edging closer to Pakistan worries Indian policy makers alot.
Strategic cooperation between Pakistan and Russian Armed Forces has toucheda new peak, as their troops hold joint military exercises, from 1-12October, at the Molkino Training Range in the Southern Krasnodar region,well-informed sources confided to The Nation.
A high-level Pakistani military delegation is understood to have been inMoscow to give final touches to the ongoing joint military exercises,besides exploring Russian weapon systems, these sources revealed.
These exercises have been named ‘Friendship 2019’ by the two sides and aformal statement to this effect was issued by the Russian Defence Ministryon July 25 last. The first joint war games were held in 2016.
The joint drill would be held to benefit from each other’s experience whichwould involve special services groups which would perform combat trainingprogrammes. Pakistani troops would be using Russian weaponry for first thetime.
A fairly good number of Pakistan Army officers have since been trained indifferent military disciplines.
It is learnt that 47 Pak troops are participating in the joint exercises.
Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is the moving spirit behindrapidly developing military-to-military relations between two mostprofessional armies. These efforts may soon culminate into a new militaryalliance in the region.
Read Top Stories
To achieve this objective, Gen Bajwa laid the foundation of Pak-Russianmilitary cooperation when he undertook a journey to Russian Federation onApril 24 last year.
The COAS had marathon discussions with his Russian Counterpart, ColonelGeneral Oleg Salyukov, Commander Russian Federation Ground Forces atKremlin Palace.
It was on this occasion that Gen Salyukov declared that Pakistan was ageo-strategically important country and Russia was keen to develop andexpand its existing bilateral military to military cooperation.
Gen Salyukov paid a return visit to Islamabad in July this year and had afollow-up meeting with Gen Bajwa at the General Headquarters. Thisinteraction between two top military leaders of Pakistan and Russia had ledto opening of new vistas of cooperation between two professional armies.
Gen Salyukov open-heartedly praised and appreciated Pak Army’sprofessionalism and achievement in International war against terrorismexpressing his keen desire to forge and expand broad-based militaryrelations with Pakistan.
Defence analysts are of the view that Russia feels hurt and disappointedwith Indian betrayal to have joined the American camp despite being itslongstanding defence and strategic partner. In their opinion Moscow did nothesitate to explore its available options.
They say both India and the United States must be apprehensive of rapidlyexpanding Pak-Russia military cooperation.
