Pakistan’s military has conducted a major exercise of ground and air power near the border with India, showcasing “combat-readiness of the armed forces” amid heightened tensions and fears of another war between the rival nations.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif along with his military Chief General Raheel Sharif inspected the exercises, with foreign ambassadors also in attendance in the central Khairpur Tamiwali region.
The drill, called Thunder Lightening (Raad ul Barq), involved combat aircraft, tanks, artillery, mobile missile launchers and other heavy weapons.
It came just days after clashes with Indian forces across the disputed Kashmir frontier, known as Line of Control, left seven Pakistani soldiers dead.
Both countries blame each other for starting the conflict that India says has caused civilian and army casualties on its side.
India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought almost three of the four wars over the divided Himalayan region since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
The two countries have since equipped their militaries with nuclear arsenal, raising fears another war could escalate into nuclear exchanges.
A bilateral wide-ranging dialogue to normalize ties and find ways to address Kashmir as well as other disputes remains suspended.
