Multinational military drill 'to give Pakistan diplomatic push
Hosted
by Pakistan, a week-long multination naval exercise is set to begin in the Arabian
Sea from Thursday, a move that could set the tone for its enhanced bilateral
relations with many countries, experts said.
Naval
forces from 45 countries, including the US, China, Russia and Turkey are
participating in Aman-2021 from Feb.11-16.
Russia
will join the military drill with NATO members for the first time in a decade,
a development considered significant. The last time Russian and NATO naval
forces took part in a joint exercise was at the Bold Monarch 2011 off the coast
of Spain.
Organized
under the slogan, 'Together for Peace,' Pakistan Navy says the exercise is
aimed at “fostering international cooperation to fight piracy, terrorism, and
other crimes,” which pose a threat to maritime security and stability.
“In
the given circumstances, bringing together 45 countries, including rivals, is
noteworthy,“ Lt. Gen. (retd.) Talat Masood, an Islamabad-based security
analyst, told Anadolu Agency, referring to Washington’s escalating diplomatic
tensions with Moscow and Beijing.
The
biannual exercise also gives Russia and NATO members an opportunity to engage
militarily, he added.
“The
exercise will also serve as a diplomatic push for Islamabad,” said Masood, who
served in the Pakistan Army from 1951 to 1990. “Pakistan has shown that it has
expanded its diplomatic clout to the point where it can bring together the
countries that otherwise are hostile to each other.”
Munawar
Hussain Panhwar, an assistant professor at the Quaid-I-Azam International
University in Islamabad, said the rare military contact between Russia and the
US is in accordance with US President Joe Biden’s policy of “engagement."
The
drill, he added, would also give a push to Islamabad’s efforts to boost defense
and military ties with Russia – a longtime Indian ally.
“This
could allow Islamabad to further underpin defense and military ties with its
traditional allies, as well as look for new regional and international
partners, at least in the defense sector,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Referring
to the participation of several South and East Asian nations, including
Bangladesh, Masood said "it will send a message to India that Pakistan is
not an isolated country, but a willing partner with other nations."
Already
frosty relations between the two nuclear neighbors have further plummeted in
recent years, particularly after New Delhi’s scrapping of the semi-autonomous
status of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region in August 2019.
Islamabad
also accuses New Delhi of supporting militants based in Afghanistan and
sabotaging infrastructure projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor. However, the claims are rejected by India.
Pahnwar,
who teaches international relations, said the event is an opportunity for
Islamabad to further consolidate its geographical importance. Pakistan is
bounded by Iran, Afghanistan, China and India.
Ishtiaq
Ahmad, a security analyst and vice chancellor of Sargodha University in Punjab,
Pakistan, said that by bringing together powers with competing interests in the
Indian Ocean, "Pakistan has contributed to regional peace and
stability."
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