India, China to take part in Vostok army drill; Pak troops to tour India

By Our Special Correspondent

In what can best be described as a diplomatic mashup, India will attend the Vostok 2022 military exercises in Russia later this month, where the Chinese Liberation Army is also likely to participate. Meanwhile, Pakistan will attend the security drill in India in October.

“China has confirmed that its troops will participate in the Vostok 2022 military exercises. India's 75-member contingent is ready and they will also travel to Vladivostok once the dates are confirmed,” sources said.

The Vostok drills are due to start at the end of the month (tentatively between August 30 and September 5) and will include Belarus, Mongolia and Tajikistan. India has not officially announced when the army will leave.

In 2021, India participated in Japad drills held in Russia with 17 countries including China and Pakistan. Zapad means "West" in Russian. It is a military exercise conducted on Russia's western borders to demonstrate their strategic capabilities and practice operational maneuvers.

Meanwhile, according to reports, the Vostok 2022 exercise will be held at 13 training grounds in the Eastern Military District under the command of Russia's Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

Even as India participates in these exercises, the military standoff continues to build around the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

"The Asian century will happen only when China and India come together. At the moment, the relationship is at a critical juncture after what China has done on the border,” External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said in a speech at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has confirmed that it will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)-led international counter-terrorism exercise in India (in October). Anti-terror drills are likely to be held in Manesar, Haryana in October.

At the weekly briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar confirmed Pakistan's participation. He is reported to have said that the exercise will be under the scope of SCO RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure). India is chairing the SCO RATS this year. Pakistan and India are part of a regional organization that also includes China, Russia and the Central Asian Republics (CARs).