(a) whether the Government has taken note of joint military drills conducted recently by Russian and Pakistani forces;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has made any assessment of the likely impact of such drills on the safety and security of the country;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the precautionary measures taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE (DR. SUBHASH BHAMRE)
IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
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(a) & (b): Russia and Pakistan held their first ever joint military tactical exercise called ‘Friendship / Druzbah, 2016’ from 24th September to 10th October, 2016. Around 200 military personnel from both the countries participated in the drills which were held at the special forces training centre in Cherat in Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province. The Russian and Pakistani military servicemen shared experience and enhanced coordination while performing assigned combat training tasks. The objective of the exercise was to strengthen counter terrorism cooperation between Russia and Pakistan.
(c) to (e): Government monitors all developments which have a bearing on national security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard the nation’s security. Indian Army has also been conducting similar exercises with Russia. These are conducted as confidence building measures as a part of military diplomacy.
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