ISLAMABAD: Is Russia becoming a strategic partner of Pak-China against India? a question that is haunting the minds of Indian Policy Makers and the strategists.
Russia joined China in a bid to stop India naming Lashkar e Tayyaba (LeT) and Jaish e Muhammad (JeM) as the terrorist organisions based in Pakistan responsible for the Uri attack in Indian Held Kashmir on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.
China blocked India's attempts to name JeM and LeT in the Goa Declaration , wherein the Brics member states pledged to "relentlessly pursue" outfits designated terrorist groups by the UNSC, but what has hurt the government more, official sources said, is Russia's refusal to argue India's case, Times of India reported today.
The result, of course, was a declaration which failed to address India's core concern, or the issue of state-sponsored terrorism. What compounded the matter for India was Russia's recent joint military drills with Pakistan in the form of an anti-terror exercise.
In current global power play, Russia is increasingly seen as needing China more than the other way round, but Moscow's support to Beijing's position on an issue related to India's security has still come as a revelation to New Delhi.
Russia did not help India name-check JeM in the declaration.
Indian strategists have been left wondering on the Moscow strategic shift towards the Pak-China strategic partnership.