[AP story on Google News ...]
Close to India, Pakistan shows military might
By CHRIS BRUMMITT (Associated Press) – April 18, 2010
CHOLISTAN DESERT, Pakistan — Fighter jets strafed mock enemy positions and tanks rumbled across this eastern desert Sunday in a display of military might signaling Pakistan's readiness to face traditional foe India even as it battles Taliban militants on its opposite flank.
While India and Pakistan regularly carry out army drills, the demonstration close to the Indian border was part of Pakistan's biggest military exercises since 1989, when the army was celebrating its role in ousting the Soviet Union from Afghanistan.
This time around, the exercises follow successful operations in the northwest against extremists that have improved the image of the army as a fighting force after its popularity plunged during the military-backed rule of former President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. For a domestic audience, the army was emphasizing this battlefield role, analysts said.
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