Pakistan and Russia signed a landmark defence agreement that includes the sale of four Mi-35 Hind E attack helicopters to Pakistan.
The agreement was signed by top defence officials from Pakistan and Russia in Rawalpindi.
Mi-35 helicopter
- The Mi-35 helicopter is an exceedingly modernised version of the Mi-24 (Hind) combat helicopter
- It has new onboard equipment and avionics.
- It also has a more powerful engine and a different tail rotor.
Background of the event
- Both countries were negotiating for this deal since 2014.
- It is after the visit of the Chief of Pakistan Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to Russia in June 2015, that Russia sent a draft contract for the delivery of four Mi-35M Hind E combat helicopters to Pakistan.
- Earlier in November 2014, Pakistan and Russia had signed a bilateral defence cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening military-to-military relations.
Importance of the event
- The signing of agreement marks a major thaw in relations between the two Cold War rivals.
Pakistan-Russia relations
During Cold War Era
For the most of the Cold War period, the Soviet Union’s relations with Pakistan have seen ups and downs during the different periods of Pakistan’s history.
In 1947-50s, Soviet Union enjoyed relatively healthy and strong relations with Pakistan when it was under the civilian control but the relations went ultimately cold soon after the U.S.-backed 1958 military coup d’état
However attempts to warm the relations were made after the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war and in the mid 1970s, the relations were quickly improved and warmed.
During Afghan Crisis
In response to ongoing Soviet support to communist Afghanistan regarding the Durand Line issue during the late 1970s and 1980s, Pakistan began to support Mujahideen rebels attempting to overthrow the Soviet-backed communist regime and was later aided by the United States, United Kingdom, China and Saudi Arabia. This later led to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.
After end of Cold War
Due to rapidly shifting global geopolitical interests spurred by the end of the Cold War and the ongoing U.S.-led War on Terror, Pakistani public opinion towards Russia has fluctuated in recent years.
However Russia has never been an intimate ally for Pakistan.
