Close on the heels of the recent joint military exercises with India, the US would hold joint exercises with all three wings of Pakistan’s armed forces. The week-long US-Pakistan joint military exercises, being held after five years, would begin towards the end of this month and continue till the first week of August, Pakistan daily Dawn reported on Monday quoting high ranking defence officials. The joint exercises between the armed forces of the two countries would be held on a ‘‘much larger-scale’’ than the recent India-US exercises in Agra in May this year, the officials claimed. Imran slams amendment; Time says Osama may be alive ISLAMABAD: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, widely believed to favour Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, has blasted the constitutional amendment that empowers the President to dismiss elected governments including the PM. Imran said his party, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, has rejected the amendments package. NEW YORK: A short handwritten letter bearing Osama bin Laden’s signature to Al Qaeda operations chief Abu Zubaydah shows bin Laden was alive as recently as December, says Time magazine in its forthcoming issue source. (PTI) ‘‘The operational significance of these exercises is far more as they will follow full operational cycle of military co-ordination, planning, execution and then de-briefing,’’ a senior defence official said noting that Indo-US exercises largely confined to para-jumping. He, however, said ‘‘dates and level of exercises are not finalised.’’ About 150 personnel from each side are expected to participate, the newspaper reported. The newspaper report said the exercises was confirmed by US Embassy spokesman John Kincannon, who said that the exercises were in the offing but he has no information about any firm dates. ‘‘The US Government has agreed in principle to begin conducting a number of joint military exercises with the Pakistani military and details are being worked out, the US embassy official said. The exercises would be held at the ‘‘company level’’ and each exercise would involve around 150 personnel from each side. The personnel who would take part in the exercises would be drawn mostly from commandos and infantry, the daily said. The exercises were expected to take place around Jhelum, Kharian and Sonmiani ranges located about 20 miles from the Port city of Karachi. Dr Shareen Mazari, director of Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies here said, ‘‘joint exercises with a high-tech weapons strength country is good’’ and expressed hope that Pakistan would get equal access to US modern warfare systems as well as the new command control systems. (PTI)
