Analysis: Pak-Russia drill signals strategic shift

[Devil Soul]

Analysis: Pak-Russia drill signals strategic shift
By Tahir Khan
Published: September 27, 2016
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This wasn’t good news for India, as it reportedly tried its best to prevail upon Russia to call off the exercise. PHOTO: ISPR

ISLAMABAD: When chief military spokesman Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa tweeted the arrival of Russian troops in Rawalpindi on Friday for the first-ever military exercise between the two Cold War era foes, it was clear that the seismic event would upset geo-strategic balance in the region and beyond — forever.

This was good news for Pakistan — both diplomatically and militarily. Diplomatically, because the two-week-long ‘Druzhba 2016’ (Friendship 2016) military drill is being conducted at the High Altitude School in Gilgit-Baltistan and a special forces training centre at Cherat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Russian forces arrive in Pakistan for first-ever joint military exercise

This wasn’t good news for India, because it reportedly tried its best to prevail upon Russia to call off the exercise, citing ‘well-known sensitivities’. For Pakistan to conduct a major military exercise with Russian troops in the territory could be perceived as a big diplomatic win.

Militarily because it indicates that Russia is interested in learning from Pakistan’s military counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Moreover, Russia can also use the exercise to showcase some of its military hardware useful for Pakistani COIN operations, including combat aircraft and infantry weapons. Moreover, watching Russian troops land in Pakistan is altogether a new experience in the region for political and military pundits. They presuppose that it’s a red line that Moscow has breached and things may never be the same again. After all Indians have asked Moscow to either choose Pakistan or India.

Talking about the far-reaching consequences of such cooperation, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence Committee Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Sunday said: “This is a positive development and a definite breakthrough in the Pakistan-Russia relations that have moved beyond the Cold War adversarial ties to a blossoming bilateral bond, based on the absence of any conflict of interests, now developing into a military relationship as well.”

Russia hasn’t called off joint military drills: Khalilullah

Mushahid agreed that the exercise could lead to a long-term relationship between the two countries.

In a loosening great power universe, the realignment has brought Pakistan, China and Russia closer to each other. This is a function largely of Russia’s worsening ties with the US. In Afghanistan, Russia believes IS is the real threat, not the Taliban, something Pakistan is at pains to push. Brigadier (retd) Said Nazir Mohmand says that the military relations between Pakistan and Russia will “create understanding and both will know about each other’s skills, tactics and expertise”.

“The use of ground and tactical skills will also help develop friendship,” Mohmand told The Express Tribune on Sunday. When asked why Russia, a long-time ally of India, chose to start military exercise with Pakistan, the former military officer argued, “There are no permanent friends and there are no permanent enemies in international relations.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2016.

 

[Kambojaric]

Modis "diplomatic isolation" went down the drain when Russia decided to go ahead with these exercises. Whilst Russia will try to maintain good ties with India of course (its a huge weapons importer after all), its obvious that India does not hold the same position for it anymore as it did in the past.

 

[cerberus]

Modis "diplomatic isolation" went down the drain when Russia decided to go ahead with these exercises. Whilst Russia will try to maintain good ties with India of course (its a huge weapons importer after all), its obvious that India does not hold the same position for it anymore as it did in the past.

Wait for Putin visit in India things will be clear to you then

As for exercise nothing officially ever came on this from Govt so this notion rejections of Indian concern is media notion

 

[sady]

World understands Pakistan has chosen to leave the legacy of 90s. They all know if India stops using proxies from Afghanistan Pakistan will reciprocate. The world has changed a lot and you no longer can have non state actors until and unless there is no other choice. This is the reason why the neutral countries will never pay heed to Indian hue and cry. US is another story because it is not neutral and even though fully knows the reason for Pakistan’s insecurity will chose to side with India because of regional games.

 

[The Eagle]

This wasn’t good news for India, because it reportedly tried its best to prevail upon Russia to call off the exercise, citing ‘well-known sensitivities’. For Pakistan to conduct a major military exercise with Russian troops in the territory could be perceived as a big diplomatic win.

Militarily because it indicates that Russia is interested in learning from Pakistan’s military counterinsurgency (COIN) operations. Moreover, Russia can also use the exercise to showcase some of its military hardware useful for Pakistani COIN operations, including combat aircraft and infantry weapons. Moreover, watching Russian troops land in Pakistan is altogether a new experience in the region for political and military pundits. They presuppose that it’s a red line that Moscow has breached and things may never be the same again. After all Indians have asked Moscow to either choose Pakistan or India.

 

[Taimoor Khan]

Western civilization headed by yanks are trying their level best, even by acts of open hostility, like we have seen in Ukraine and Turkey, to deny Russia space on its western flanks. Then comes the Pakistan-China-Russia equation. Draw an arc from Russia, through China ending in Pakistani warm water shores of Arabian Sea, bypassing all the central Asian "Stans" including Afghanistan, where the American influence, can and will out spanners in the work, Indians are clueless and are not reading the current global geopolitical situation if they think they are relevant and can influence things. Things are far serious and to highest level then some lousy few billion dollars deal Indians might have with Russians. The motorways which are part of CPEC not only have road signs marked in Chinese but Russian as well. The game is going on a much higher level and Indians are stuck in some weapon deals. Numbnuts I would say.

Just a food for thought, without going into the resources both Human and material of the three countries, the top 4 biggest nuke powers of the world are occupied the three countries with America the "odd" one sitting on number 2.

 

[barbarosa]

Pakistan should make strong tie with Russia.
We should trust on their technologies.