Russia-Pakistan Military Cooperation: A Tectonic Shift?

Abstract

On September 24, 2016, Russian Ground Forces and the Pakistani Army showcased their arsenal and demonstrated safety mechanism techniques at the Army High Altitude School in Rattu and at a special forces training center in Cherat in northern Pakistan. A first of its kind joint military exercise, termed Druzhba-2016 (Friendship 2016), was followed by a round of consultations between the respective foreign officiates in December 2016, in Islamabad. In addition, Pakistan’s military plans to receive four Russian-made Mi-35M attack helicopters in 2017. Perceptibly, China is pressing Russia to take Pakistan on board for a triangular strategic partnership, starting with a round of talks in Moscow on issues relating to the rise of Islamic States’s foothold in Afghanistan and Russia’s potential role in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.