March 14, 2008	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1429

NEW DELHI, March 13: India will hold military exercises just 60 kilometres from Pakistan border in Rajasthan.

At least 94 military attaches from 60 countries, including China, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, US, UK, France and Germany, have been invited to witness the day-long exercises codenamed ‘Blazing Chariots’ in the Thar desert of Rajasthan on March 19.

When asked about Pakistan’s absence from the large group of military attaches, a senior Indian army officer briefing the press on the war-games said: “We still have not reached that confidence-building level and cooperation with them.”

For the first time, he said, Muslim countries like Saudi

Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman and others would be sending strong delegations to witness the military exercises.

Mirages and Sukhois, main battle tank T-90, the army’s latest acquisition, the SMERCH multi-barrel rocket launchers — capable of firing nuclear and conventional warheads over a distance of 60 kilometres — would participate in a 100-kilometre radius around Jaisalmer-Pokhran, just 60 kilometres from the Pakistani border, media reports quoted him as saying. Maj-Gen VK Narula, additional director general of public information at army headquarters, said the objective of the war-games was “to provide an opportunity to observers from foreign countries to witness Indian military assets.”

“It will also give them a chance to see capabilities of our forces in a bi-service joint operations environment,” he said.

—APP