MOSCOW: Army contingents from Pakistan and India are taking part in a jointcounter-terrorism exercise as part of multi-national war games in Russia,reported *The Times of India*link.

The war games are being held under the umbrella of Shanghai CooperationOrganisation (SCO), and feature soldiers from China, Russia and other SCOcountries.

The military exercise, Peace Mission 2018, kicked off at the 255 CombinedArms Range at Chebarkul in the Chelyabinsk region of Russia on Friday.

“Indian soldiers have never actively participated in a multilateralexercise that included Pakistan in the past. Troops from the two countrieshave, however, worked together in UN missions and operations,” an officerfrom the Indian army told *TOI*.

Russia has fielded 1,700 soldiers for the exercise, followed by China with700 and India with 200 soldiers. Pakistan has also fielded a contingent.

The SCO was constituted in 2001 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russiaand Tajikistan. The group has eight full members, includingIndia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Another four nations have been accordedobserver status, while six others are dialogue partners.

Earlier, Pakistan and Russia reached a historic agreement allowing officersfrom the country’s armed forces to train in Russia. The Russians are keento step in and fill the gap which the United States has created afterhalting security-related aid to Pakistan.

The deal was concluded at the end of the inaugural meeting ofRussia-Pakistan Joint Military Consultative Committee in Rawalpindi. ThePakistan Army Aviation Corps has also begun receiving the Mi-35 assaulthelicopters it ordered from Russia back in 2015, according to reports.

Islamabad and Moscow concluded the $153 million helicopter deal duringthen-chief of army staff General (retd) Raheel Sharif’s visit to Russia inJune 2016. A preliminary contract was signed at the Pakistan Army GeneralHeadquarters in Rawalpindi in August 2015.

*This article originally appeared in The Times of Indialink*