Russia-Pakistan Military Exercises (2016): Implications for Pakistan's Security

摘要

Russia-Pakistan first-ever Military Exercises Friendship-2016 (Druzhba-2016) were significant for Pakistan's internal as well as external security. These joint military exercises helped Pakistan's internal security in two ways. First, Pakistani military units benefited from Russian counter-terrorism experiences besides gaining experience exchanges through planning, training, reconnaissance, and handling of military operations against terrorism. Pakistani military units could use these modern tactics, and novel procedures in real combats against the terrorists in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA, merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018), Baluchistan, and other parts of Pakistan. The Russian military personnel also benefited from the experiences of Pakistani counterparts. Second, during the joint drills, the military personnel used the modern equipment of each other which enhanced their knowledge of advanced arms. Thus, Pakistan could acquire new arms from Russia and subsequently use the equipment against militant groups which posed a threat to Pakistan's internal security. Moreover, Friendship 2016 has implications for Pakistan's external security in four ways. First, it helped Pakistan in preparedness to counter the threats of Islamic State from Afghanistan. Second, the exercises contributed towards de-escalation of India-Pakistan tension after the Uri attack besides it foiled the Indian attempts to isolate Pakistan on the pretext of terrorism in Kashmir. Furthermore, Russia seems convinced that some extra-regional powers were involved in disrupting Pakistan-India relations through the acts of terrorism. Third, it served as a counterweight to the US alienation from Pakistan, and finally it enhanced the prospects of Russia-Pakistan military technical cooperation.