News
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
India plans war games near Pakistan border
* 20,000 Indian troops to conduct mock war drills in Rajasthan
* Army says exercise will be one of the largest manoeuvres
NEW DELHI: An official on Monday said the Indian military is to conduct one of its largest mock war drills – involving 20,000 troops – close to Pakistan’s border.
Army spokesman Colonel Jagdeep Dahiya told AFP that the manoeuvres, named Shoorveer or Brave Warrior, which will also involve 200 Russian-made tanks, are due to begin in the deserts of India’s state of Rajasthan next month.
“The exercise will be one of the largest manoeuvres conducted so far,” he said, adding that latest warplanes will also be used in the drills, which are scheduled to end in May.
In a separate statement the military said tanks, frontline combat vehicles, artillery, helicopters, fighter jets, drones, air-defence weapons and military radars will all be part of the exercise.
Another military source said the event would be held less than 200 kilometres from the highly militarised border with Pakistan, with which India has fought three wars since 1947.
Dahiya dismissed fears the exercise – to be conducted by an elite military corps raised only for cross-border assault – would crank up tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.
“We do inform Pakistan in advance whenever such large-scale exercises are conducted by us,” the army colonel added.
New Delhi froze peace talks started in 2004 with Islamabad following attacks in Mumbai in 2008 by gunmen India says came from Pakistan. The assault left 166 people dead.
The slow-moving peace dialogue resumed early last year with cross visits by officials to India and Pakistan.
The two South Asian adversaries carried out tit-for-tat nuclear detonations in 1998 and declared themselves as nuclear-armed states. afpCourtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk