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Pak, Bangladesh hold joint naval ex



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        Pak, Bangladesh hold joint naval exercises, India at sea

The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
April 28, 2001

Jaideep Mazumdar (Kolkata, April 27)

THE PAKISTANI Navy has just carried out full-scale exercises in the Bay
of Bengal. Three Pakistani vessels - a frigate, an Augusta class
submarine and a fleet tanker - were involved in the exercises that
concluded on Thursday.

Two Bangladeshi ships were part of the joint exercises between the two
countries. The exercises were conducted within Bangladesh's maritime
boundaries.
However, neither Bangladesh (which hosted the exercise) nor Pakistan
informed India as required by international convention.

Indian naval officers told the Hindustan Times that the exercises have
been on since April 13. The 85-metre frigate, Zulfiqar, was equipped
with laser-guided missiles, anti-aircraft guns and anti-submarine mines.
Fleet tankers, like the one used in this exercise - Moawim - are an
integral part of such exercises.

"Any country that conducts military exercises either on its own or along
with another country always informs its neighbours in order to avoid the
possibility of the activity being misconstrued as an actual build-up or
hostile action. Such a (mis)interpretation can easily escalate into a
flare-up. That is why there is an international convention in this
regard,?a naval officer explained.

The Indian defence establishment has been monitoring the movement of the
three Pakistani Navy vessels ever since they left Karachi port a few
weeks ago.

"They (the three vessels) sailed down the Arabian Sea, passed through
Sri Lankan waters and up the Bay of Bengal. They never strayed into
Indian territorial waters. They were escorted into Bangladesh waters by
a naval ship of that country,?said a Coast Guard officer.

The brass at the Eastern Command is viewing the whole affair with
suspicion. "Stronger military ties between Dhaka and Islamabad will
definitely have a far-reaching consequence on India's security
interests,?commented a senior officer at Fort William.

What's even more worrying for the Indian defence establishment is that
the three Pakistani vessels sailed away from Bangladesh on Thursday
evening and are headed for Myanmar to conduct similar exercises with the
Myanmarese Navy.

When contacted for confirmation, a Ministry of External Affairs official
in New Delhi said that the MEA had no knowledge of the joint naval
exercise.
Atal-Hasina meet on cards next month

Vajpayee-Hasina meet

PRIME MINISTER Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Bangladesh counterpart
Sheikh Hasina are likely to hold talks next month in a bid to defuse
tension on the Indo-Bangladesh frontier, media reports said in Dhaka on
Friday. Sheikh Hasina will make a stopover in New Delhi around May 17 on
her return from Brussels, where she is scheduled to attend a UN meeting.
Foreign Secretary Syed Muazzem Ali when contacted on Friday morning,
neither confirmed nor denied the report. (PTI, Dhaka)

=================================================

                     Pakistan battle fleet in Burma

The Asian Age (New Delhi)
April 28, 2001

Rangoon, April 27: A Pakistani naval fleet, consisting of three
battleships, one submarine, one tanker and a destroyer, have docked at a
Rangoon port for a courtesy call, the first such visit allowed by the
Burma junta, military sources said on Friday.

The fleet was docked at the Thilawa jetty, 20 km southeast of Rangoon.
The fleet, which was scheduled to depart with a visiting 16-member
Pakistani defence delegation on Monday, precedes the scheduled visit of
Pakistani chief executive General Pervez Musharraf, Burmese military
sources said.

Burma and Pakistan are both deemed pariahs among western democracies for
their poor human rights records and lack of democratic institutions.

General Musharraf is scheduled to arrive in Rangoon on Tuesday for a
three-day visit at the invitation of state peace and development council
chairman senior general Than Shwe. (DPA)


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<center><b><font color="#0000FF"><font size=+2>Pak, Bangladesh hold joint
naval exercises, India at sea</font></font></b></center>

<p><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)</font></font>
<br><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>April 28, 2001</font></font>
<p><font size=+1><font color="#999900">Jaideep Mazumdar</font><font color="#990000">
(Kolkata, April 27)</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>THE PAKISTANI Navy has just carried out full-scale exercises
in the Bay of Bengal. Three Pakistani vessels - a frigate, an Augusta class
submarine and a fleet tanker - were involved in the exercises that concluded
on Thursday.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Two Bangladeshi ships were part of the joint exercises
between the two countries. The exercises were conducted within Bangladesh's
maritime boundaries.</font>
<br><font size=+1>However, neither Bangladesh (which hosted the exercise)
nor Pakistan informed India as required by international convention.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Indian naval officers told the Hindustan Times that the
exercises have been on since April 13. The 85-metre frigate, Zulfiqar,
was equipped with laser-guided missiles, anti-aircraft guns and anti-submarine
mines. Fleet tankers, like the one used in this exercise - Moawim - are
an integral part of such exercises.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"Any country that conducts military exercises either on
its own or along with another country always informs its neighbours in
order to avoid the possibility of the activity being misconstrued as an
actual build-up or hostile action. Such a (mis)interpretation can easily
escalate into a flare-up. That is why there is an international convention
in this regard,?a naval officer explained.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The Indian defence establishment has been monitoring the
movement of the three Pakistani Navy vessels ever since they left Karachi
port a few weeks ago.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"They (the three vessels) sailed down the Arabian Sea,
passed through Sri Lankan waters and up the Bay of Bengal. They never strayed
into Indian territorial waters. They were escorted into Bangladesh waters
by a naval ship of that country,?said a Coast Guard officer.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The brass at the Eastern Command is viewing the whole
affair with suspicion. "Stronger military ties between Dhaka and Islamabad
will definitely have a far-reaching consequence on India's security interests,?commented
a senior officer at Fort William.</font>
<p><font size=+1>What's even more worrying for the Indian defence establishment
is that the three Pakistani vessels sailed away from Bangladesh on Thursday
evening and are headed for Myanmar to conduct similar exercises with the
Myanmarese Navy.</font>
<p><font size=+1>When contacted for confirmation, a Ministry of External
Affairs official in New Delhi said that the MEA had no knowledge of the
joint naval exercise.</font>
<br><font size=+1>Atal-Hasina meet on cards next month</font>
<p><b><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>Vajpayee-Hasina meet</font></font></b>
<p><font size=+1>PRIME MINISTER Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his Bangladesh
counterpart Sheikh Hasina are likely to hold talks next month in a bid
to defuse tension on the Indo-Bangladesh frontier, media reports said in
Dhaka on Friday. Sheikh Hasina will make a stopover in New Delhi around
May 17 on her return from Brussels, where she is scheduled to attend a
UN meeting. Foreign Secretary Syed Muazzem Ali when contacted on Friday
morning, neither confirmed nor denied the report. (PTI, Dhaka)</font>
<p>=================================================
<center>
<p><b><font color="#0000FF"><font size=+2>Pakistan battle fleet in Burma</font></font></b></center>

<p><b><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>The Asian Age (New Delhi)</font></font></b>
<br><b><font color="#990000"><font size=+1>April 28, 2001</font></font></b>
<p><font size=+1><b><font color="#990000">Rangoon, April 27:</font></b>
A Pakistani naval fleet, consisting of three battleships, one submarine,
one tanker and a destroyer, have docked at a Rangoon port for a courtesy
call, the first such visit allowed by the Burma junta, military sources
said on Friday.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The fleet was docked at the Thilawa jetty, 20 km southeast
of Rangoon. The fleet, which was scheduled to depart with a visiting 16-member
Pakistani defence delegation on Monday, precedes the scheduled visit of
Pakistani chief executive General Pervez Musharraf, Burmese military sources
said.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Burma and Pakistan are both deemed pariahs among western
democracies for their poor human rights records and lack of democratic
institutions.</font>
<p><font size=+1>General Musharraf is scheduled to arrive in Rangoon on
Tuesday for a three-day visit at the invitation of state peace and development
council chairman senior general Than Shwe. (DPA)</font>
<br>&nbsp;</html>

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