Pakistan, India far from a detente despite joint military exercise
Contingents from the Indian and Pakistani armies this week participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s multinational anti-terrorism exercise code-named Peace Mission 2018. It was the first time that the belligerent neighbors’ military forces had jointly taken part in an anti-terror military exercise. But is this a boost for stability in the subcontinent?
The participation of the two states’ troops in the joint drill is an encouraging and confidence-building measure. It was a unique opportunity for the two armed forces to exchange experiences in the war on terror. Hitherto, Pakistani soldiers did not actively participate in any multilateral exercise that included Indian troops. However, both states’ soldiers did contribute together in UN missions and peace operations.
India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO — a multinational Eurasian organization — in June 2017. According to Article 1 of the SCO charter, it is all members’ goal and task “to jointly counteract terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations.” The SCO currently has eight full member states (Pakistan, China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), four observer states (Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia), and six dialogue partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey).
From the beginning, the SCO members have cooperated in counter-terrorism operations. Though they have been successful in undercutting terrorist groups’ activities in Central Asia, they need the active involvement of Pakistan in countering the increasing presence of Daesh in their neighborhood. In addition, radicalized militant groups such as the Turkistan Islamic Party, Uyghur militants, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Tehrik-i-Taliban have been posing existential threats to all the members of the organization.
The SCO’s Peace Mission 2018 military exercise was held at Chebarkul, Russia, from August 22 to 29. It was an initiative of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. The scope of the exercise included professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills and procedures, establishment of joint command and control structures, and elimination of terrorist threats in urban counter-terrorist scenarios. It also involved tactical level operations in an international counter-insurgency or counter-terrorism environment. It is hoped the exercise will deepen defense and security cooperation among the member states, enhancing their capacity for tackling terrorist groups.
Nearly 3,000 soldiers participated in the training exercise. Previously, the scope of the exercise was limited to Central Asia but, with the participation of the 110- strong Pakistani contingent and the 200-member Indian party, it has expanded the mission to South Asia.
Theoretically speaking, the joint counter-terrorism drill enhances the military exchanges and trust between India and Pakistan. In practice, the trends are not favorable due to the glaring divergence in views and India’s geopolitical ambitions.
Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal
Chinese senior Col. Ma Qixian stated that “the Peace Mission 2018 is a crucial exercise held amid an increasingly complex international and regional anti-terrorism situation, is an important part of the SCO’s deepening cooperation in the fields of defense and security, and it serves as an important platform reflecting the mutual trust and cooperation among SCO member states.”
India has encountered a number of insurgencies, while Pakistan has suffered from the menace of transnational terrorism. Therefore both states have invested in enhancing their law enforcement agencies’ potential to improve their internal security. Theoretically speaking, the joint counter-terrorism drill enhances the military exchanges and trust between India and Pakistan. In practice, the trends are not favorable due to the glaring divergence in views and India’s geopolitical ambitions. Thus, the unresolved chronic disputes and upsurge in the Kashmiri freedom movement in Indian-administered Kashmir make counter-terror cooperation almost chimerical.
Admittedly, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his desire to restart the suspended dialogue process for the sake of regional security and prosperity. However, the prospects for the restarting of a sustainable dialogue process seem limited. The Indian ruling elite is not ready to accept the reality that a sustainable dialogue process between the nuclear-armed rivals is a prerequisite to avoiding the accidental, unauthorized and inadvertent use of nuclear weapons.
South Asia is an underdeveloped region. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation was established in the mid-1980s for improving economic cooperation among the regional actors. Its success requires a shared faith in collective gains and a vision for long-term cooperation that has been missing due to the rivalry between India and Pakistan. Without improving bilateral ties, therefore, achieving prosperity and stability in the region is impossible.
In summary, the Indian and Pakistani troops’ participation in the joint military exercise boosts the SCO’s counter-terrorism apparatus, but it will have little impact on the two countries’ bilateral relations.
• Dr. Zafar Nawaz Jaspal is an Islamabad-based analyst and professor at the School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University. E-mail: [email protected]
