22 November 2016

Pakistan Russia Relations – More Than A Military Exercise

Nov 19, 2016

Pakistan Russia Relations – More Than A Military Exercise

In the first signs of realignment of stategic relationsin South Asia and a rebalancing of sorts that is ongoing, Pakistan and Russia commenced the first ever joint exercise. Confusion persisted regarding the venue of the first Russia-Pakistan military training. The Russian Embassy in New Delhi stated that the drill is not being held in a “sensitive or problematic” area such as Gilgit-Baltistan. Some sources reported that the exercise was reportedly being held at the Pakistan Army’s High Altitude School at Rattu in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Some other sources claimed that this was being held at the Special Forces training centre at Cherat in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. “The exercise is going ahead at Rattu. The Russian unit that has come is one that specializes in mountain warfare in terrain such as that found in Rattu,” a Pakistani source was reported by the Dawn.

Importantly despite the terrorist attack attributed to Pakistan by India in Uri army base on 18 September, Russia chose to continue with the exercise just days before the Annual India Russia Summit in Goa on the sidelines of BRICS. This indicates that there is more to the relationship than only the first joint exercise.

Russia-Pakistan relations had been frayed during the Soviet era when Pakistan support to the Afghan Mujahideen with the backup of the American intelligence agency the CIA had invited the ire of Moscow. On the other hand, strong India-Russia strategic partnership had prevented closer engagement. As India has widened strategic relationship and is now closer to the United States whereas American relations with Pakistan have deteriorated there is leveraging by all sides with Pakistan and Russia no longer restrained by the legacy of the past. In November 2014, Pakistan and Russia signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement to strengthen military-to-military relations. The agreement was followed by another ‘technical cooperation agreement’. In 2015, Russia concluded a deal for the sale of four Mi-35 attack helicopters to Pakistan, and in October 2016 the two are holding military exercises thus completing the full cycle of defence engagement. Thus the wheel has turned full circle.

Russia has justified opening relations with Pakistan as a part of the complexity of geopolitics of a global player which has multiple interests. Russia has also engaged with the Taliban. Russia believes that the NATO mission in Afghanistan is not likely to bring stability in the near future and thus new approaches are necessary. Zamir Kabulov, Russia's Foreign Ministry's director of the Second Asian Department, "I agree with the view that America has no Afghanistan strategy. They have a single purpose, [which is] to exist in Afghanistan in terms of military and political. Afghanistan is geopolitically located in an important place to control China through Central Asia, Iran, Russia, and Pakistan. This situation naturally disturbs us".

Zamir Kabulov added, "Whether we accept it or not, the Taliban is a potent political armed force, but the question, if the group has the same power it had 15 years ago, should be asked from the U.S. There is an independent government in Afghanistan, because of this, foreign countries are responsible for the events that took place in the country in the past fifteen years. The current situation is the result of their (foreigners) wrong policies, but we can still resolve these problems," he said.

With Russian interests in Central and Southern Asia including West Asia, the importance of Afghanistan and thus the relations with Pakistan is apparent. The presence of Daesh in the country and the fear of backlash due to Russian actions in West Asia are added factors that may have led the Russian new approach to make friends with Pakistan. Russia, China and Pakistan are planning a trilateral on Afghanistan. India thus may have to be alive to the new strategic equations being formulated in the region and not be stuck with alliances of the past. 

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