COMING TOGETHER

The India-Pakistan joint military exercises, scheduled for September, in Russia, has raised more than a few eyebrows, given the tensions along the LoC. Even the most optimistic among us must concede that, at the moment, relations between the two countries are anything but normal and to propose any activity together, whether it is cricket, culture or military relations is likely to cause strong reactions.

The reason for New Delhi's agreement to the exercises – formalized by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during a recent meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in Beijing -- is that India needs to stay on the right side of its Asian allies. The Russian joint military exercises with Pakistan in September last year and China and Pakistan's joint air force training exercises around the same time sent a strong message to New Delhi that it needs to interact more aggressively with Moscow and Beijing, not only at a political level, but at a military level too, and if that means being seen to be working with Pakistan, however briefly, so be it.

The other reason is that differences between the nations aside, the SCO will become a powerful world body and possibly even a counterweight to NATO. Such a body will allow India, which is still being denied a permanent seat at the UNSC, to have a more prominent say in world affairs, while going along with the nation's traditional foreign policy of 'balance' and non-alignment. SCO will allow India to maintain its traditional warm ties with the US without being dependent on them. In this regard, the joint military exercises will play a crucial role.

Often used by world leaders to convey messages that traditional diplomat-speak will not allow, the agreement to do the exercises conveys to the US and the rest of the western world that India cannot be taken for granted. The other message that comes through is that India is willing to be co-operative and not belligerent with Pakistan for a common good.

This is a very important message to send out to the world, as some nation states, still view India as the 'aggressor', especially after the 'surgical strikes' on Pakistan announced by the PM. The fact that the US has recently cracked down on Pakistan on its funding to terror groups has made no difference to these countries, and while it would be naive to think that the joint military exercises will change their thinking overnight, they can help ease nerves about India and Pakistan.

Former US President Bill Clinton had termed the Kashmir issue as a 'nuclear flashpoint', in 1998 and while concerns have shifted to other parts of the world -- such as Iran and North Korea -- India and Pakistan continue to be keenly watched. It is important for India to allay such concerns and it will also help bring into focus the threat of terrorism -- a threat the country is deeply concerned about.