NEW DELHI: Russia decided to cancel joint military exercises with Pakistan in the Rattu area of Gilgit-Baltistan following the Uri terrorist attack after India raised the issue with its old ally, pointing out that the area falls in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, Russia hasn't called off joint military exercises with Pakistan starting Saturday in Cherat, a hill station in the Nowshera district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, 34 km from Peshawar. "Moscow came out strongly in India's support after the Uri terror strikes both through bilateral mechanism and through multilateral fora like UN and BRICS. Following US and European sanctions amid the Ukraine crisis, Russia has developed a close partnership with China , an all-weather ally of Pakistan. On the other hand, India is now a major defence and strategic partner for the US, an expert pointed out.

Source: Economic Times September 23, 2016 15:03 UTC