This comes at a time when India is going all out to intensify diplomatic pressure against Pakistan which is poised for military action against India. Pakistan and the Soviet Union were cold war enemies. But the situation has changed. Russia and Pakistan are getting ready for the first ever joint military exercise. Friendship 2016 is a development which will be watched with concern by both India and US. A contingent of Russian ground forces has arrived in Pakistan. Russia made it clear that the Russia- Pakistan anti-terror exercise will not be held in PoK or in any other sensitive or problematic areas like Gilgit-Baltistan. It stated that the report of drills taking place at a military school is mischievous. Moscow has been at pains to explain that the exercise is aimed at strengthening and developing military cooperation with Pakistan.
Even if a joint military exercise is not taking place in PoK, the news cannot be heartening to Delhi. Despite India’s growing ties with the US and Israel, it has long treated Russia as a steadfast ally. Pakistan’s relations with Russia have thawed with Moscow lifting the arms embargo on Pakistan in 2014. In 2015, Russia decided to sell Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan. Moscow has also watched India’s growing ties with the US with apprehension. The opposition in India has attacked the Modi government for compromising on strategic autonomy by signing the logistics agreement. India has however explained that the agreement does not lead to a military alliance.
