Pak to conduct military
exercises
ISLAMABAD, Oct 13 (PTI)
— Pakistan has chalked out plans to conduct
two-month long military exercises along the Indian border
in Punjab and Sindh from this month end in which 60,000
troops and officers, including fighter planes will
participate, media reports said here today. The exercises
apparently come in the wake of similar military
manoeuvres planned by India next month in Rajasthan
sector about which Pakistan has already been informed.
Quoting reliable sources, the largest circulated Urdu
daily “Jung” said two-month long “complete
military exercises” will be launched in October in
the plains of Pakistan’s Punjab and deserts of Sindh
province.
In the division level of
these exercises, fighter planes will also be used, the
reports said, adding that the purpose of conducting these
exercises in winter is to review the condition and
preparedness of the armed forces.
New Army Chief Gen Pervez
Musharraf has already issued orders for conducting these
manoeuvres about which Pakistan is also informing India.
These exercises would be
held at least five km from the international border with
India, the reports said.
President Muhammad Rafiq
Tarar and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are expected to
witness these exercises separately, the reports added.
The ‘Jung’
report further said that the new appointments and
transfers in the Pakistani Army, which is in a process of
transition following the change of the Army chief, will
be completed within a week after which the new army chief
will inspect all the formations. He is expected to visit
Siachen first, the report said.
General Pervez Musharraf
was appointed new Army chief last week when the previous
Army chief, General Jehangir Karamat, resigned following
differences with the Nawaz Sharif government over the
issue of establishing a national security council.
Prime Minister Sharif
elevated General Musharraf to the post of Army chief
superseding two senior officers, who resigned in protest.
In a related development,
the foreign secretary-level talks between India and
Pakistan, scheduled to begin here from Thursday, seem to
be headed for rough weather with Islamabad today accusing
New Delhi of “vitiating” the atmosphere by
planning to conduct “a very large military
exercise” near its border and behaving like a
“petulant errant”. “We are extremely
disturbed by the reports (of Indian military exercises)
particularly by the reported nature, size and timing of
these exercises,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Tariq Altaf told newsmen here.
Asked to comment on the
reports that India has informed Pakistan about these
exercises as per a bilateral agreement, he said, “we
have been given a routine information about a routine
exercise in the form of a routine notification”.
“But what we hear is
a different story. Even the sea and airborne troops will
be involved in this very large exercise which could have
been avoided at this time,” he added.
Asked about reports in the
Pakistani media that Islamabad was also planning similar
military exercises later this month, he denied having any
knowledge about it.
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