Did India lose its best friend? Russia to conduct military drill with Pakistan

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

Did India lose its best friend? Russia to conduct military drill with Pakistan
This is especially bad considering the perilous state that India-Pakistan relations stand on after the dastardly Uri attacks.
Srividhya Iyer | Updated: September 24, 2016 3:19 PM ISTEmail

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New Delhi, September 24: India has been caught up in some bad diplomatic news of late. The country that has been India’s best friend through the years, Russia has decided that it wants to conduct joint military exercises with India’s rogue neighbour and all-time enemy country, Pakistan. Though this in itself, is some bad news, the Russia’s state-run Tass news agency declared that Russia would go against India’s sensitivities and conduct the operations in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is essentially Indian territory held by Pakistan. This is especially bad considering the perilous state that India-Pakistan relations stand on after the dastardly Uri attacks.

Pakistan who would indeed be ecstatic with such a diplomatic catch wasted no time in announcing the news to the world. Early on Friday morning,Pakistan’s chief military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa tweeted out that a contingent of Russian troops had arrived in Rawalpindi for the first military exercise between the two countries. The exercise is to be two weeks long and to India’s sorrow, the drill is to be called “Druzhba 2016” (Friendship 2016).

A contingent of Russian ground forces arrived Pak for 1st ever Pak- Russian joint exercise (2 weeks) from 24 Sep to 10 Oct 2016 pic.twitter.com/eWzQMlENL6

— Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) September 23, 2016





The news was also announced by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency. A few hours after the Russian troops reached Rawalpindi, the agency issued a statement that said, “The opening ceremony of the Friendship 2016 drills will take place on September 24 at Pakistan Army’s High Altitude School in Rattu, Gilgit-Baltistan.” This, of course, was a shocker for India. Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Vikas Swarup, spoke to the media and said on Thursday that Gilgit-Baltistan was “part of Indian territory” and India’s “well-known sensitivities” had been conveyed to Russia, including at a meeting of the Inter-Governmental Commission in New Delhi on September 13. (ALSO READ: Indian, Russian troops begin joint military drills in Russia)

After the diplomatic push by India, The Russian Embassy in India clarified its stance on the issue and published a statement on Friday morning. The statement said that the drill wouldn’t be held in any “sensitive or problematic areas” such as Gilgit-Baltistan.The original Tass news report on the exercise was also edited to remove all references to Gilgit-Baltistan




Russia and Pakistan have remained historical rivals due to Pakistan’s proximity to America. However, there seems to be trouble in paradise for the Pakistan-America relations, with the U.S even going to the extent of releasing a bill calling Pakistan a global sponsor of terrorism, Pakistan has decided it needs to get closer to Russia. Pakistan it seems is stuck in the cold war years. Though India does not expect Russia do follow a zero-sum game in its relations, chumming up to Pakistan, still hurts the Indian sentiments. Though India itself has improved its diplomatic relations with the United states during Narendra Modi’s Prime Ministership, the relation is mainly based on a confluence of interests and like most of India’s relations, remains a mere friendship and not an alliance. Russia or the former Soviet Union has always remained the only ally India has had in the world.




http://www.india.com/news/india/did...conduct-military-drill-with-pakistan-1510805/

 

[first77]

 

[UKBengali]

Indians do not understand that in this new world, then cannot try to be friends with everyone.
They either have to go to US-led side or the Chinese/Russian camp.

 

[pragmatic_dude]

No, our relation with Russia was always transactional in nature . We sided with russia because we needed weopons during cold war and U.S would not supply it to us . They sided with us as they saw us the big power in South Asia which did not openly espouse hatred for communism . It was a pefect match back then . Now , it looks like russia wants to diversify its relations same as India . Nothing wrong with that . We don't own russia . It would be good to remember that

Indians do not understand that in this new world, then cannot try to be friends with everyone.
They either have to go to US-led side or the Chinese/Russian camp.

I did not realize a cold war was occuring right now .

 

[Rajput battalion]

transition period has been start.

 

[Hulk]

This is no big deal. It was only hyped by media. Russia and India does so much business with each other and they both need each other. Russia at the same time cannot cancel its simple exercise. This was questioned by only media and not government or India.

 

[Nefarious]

Unfortunately, Indian media has been a very poor show lately.

It's ok to argue these media outlets ridiculous etc but they only exist because they actually have an audience, this is the most disturbing thing. They cater for a dumbed down zombie audience like that of Fox news.

 

[Armoured Division]

Fact: Only 70 Russian troops exercising with Pakistan, whereas 250 Russian troops exercising with India.This shows Russia gives 3 times more importance to exercise with India.

 

[Areesh]

Fact: Only 70 Russian troops exercising with Pakistan, whereas 250 Russian troops exercising with India.This shows Russia gives 3 times more importance to exercise with India.

Bharati logic.

Fact is that this moronic post shows you are in pain with these 70 soldiers presence in Pakistan. Try something like Burnol or any pain killer for remedy.

 

[rustom]

US - Russia have done joint exercises before Ukraine issue. So whats the big deall in this,

 

[GR!FF!N]

I wonder,only if selling aircraft or making a joint exercise would make a good friend...

Pakistan is using Russian hardware for quite some time,right?

 

[haviZsultan]

Russians are not Indians. They are seeing India cozying up to Americans which offered them F16's which are more advanced than Pakistans, a nuke deal and India has also become one of the largest buyers of US weaponry. Though Russia is loyal to its allies this is a snub. Also the cold war is over. Most Pakistanis have understood that our fight against the Soviets on American insistence was wrong and created the terrorists we see today.

These are just some of the reasons Russia and Pakistan's relations are improving. Though Russia will not betray India these are signs that alliances are shifting.

 

[idune]

Fact: Only 70 Russian troops exercising with Pakistan, whereas 250 Russian troops exercising with India.This shows Russia gives 3 times more importance to exercise with India.

That is best of indian education system can produce. it good for rest of the world to know.