Opinion June 18, 1981, Forty Years Ago: Pak-Soviet ties
The Soviet Union is bound to feel unhappy at Pakistan’s decision to acquire US arms just as Pakistan feels strongly about the Soviet incursion in Afghanistan, resulting in the influx of one million refugees in Pakistan.
This is the front page of The Indian Express published on June 18, 1981 
Despite Pakistan’s decision to go ahead with the purchase of F-16 aircraft from the US, Islamabad and Moscow are keeping their communication channels open. The Soviet Union is bound to feel unhappy at Pakistan’s decision to acquire US arms just as Pakistan feels strongly about the Soviet incursion in Afghanistan, resulting in the influx of one million refugees in Pakistan. Nevertheless, the two sides have been quietly talking to each other and exploring the possibility of evolving friendlier relations despite differences and Pakistan’s recent pro-US tilt. V S Smirnov, Russian ambassador to Islamabad, has had a series of discussions with President Zia-ul-Haq and Pakistan’s foreign minister Agha Shahi on removing irritants in the relationship between two countries.
CPM wins
The ruling Left Front continued its predominance in West Bengal when the CPM candidates won the Serampore Lok Sabha and Darjeeling assembly seats. The CPM, which heads the Left Front, finished with a tally of five assembly and one Lok Sabha seat in the recent elections. In Serampore, Ajit Bag of the CPM defeated his Congress (I) rival Santi Mohan Roy by a margin of 96,549 votes in a four-cornered contest.
Apple launch
A significant landmark in the field of Indian space research and telecommunications will be set on June 18 when Apple (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment), India’s first experimental communication satellite, will be launched from Kourou in French Guyana by the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) rocket carrier.
STC chief
The government is thinking of appointing a politician as a STC chief. One name being mentioned is Sant Bux Singh, brother of UP CM, VP Singh.
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