India-Pak joint anti-terror exercise in August

Casting aside their geopolitical disputes, India, Pakistan and China will convene in Russia next month to mount a military drill aimed at enhancing counterterror cooperation between the eight countries of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc.

The war games, slated to be held during August 20-29 in the west-central Russian city Chelyabinsk, will see some 200 Indian Army and Air Force personnel displaying their might alongside their counterparts from the two neighbours, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, other than the host nation.

The joint effort comes after Indian and Chinese troops faced off last year in the strategic India-China-Bhutan tri-junction of Doklam, and the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launchpads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by India, which has been pushing for global action against the next-door neighbour for allowing terror havens to thrive on its territory.

The August endeavour is being seen as a stride towards combating radicalisation with a common military strategy to stem financial and logistical support to terrorism and boost the regional security apparatus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among the leaders who had pitched for defence cooperation within the SCO member-states.