India, Pakistan to launch war games near border

The Indian and Pakistani forces will be conducting wargames later this month near the border.
The exercises aim to test offensive strategies in the event of an armed conflict.
Both exercises, involving thousands of troops, aim to test offensive strategies in the event of an armed conflict with the other side and will have active participation of their respective air forces.
The war game is codenamed as Yodha Shakti and will be held in Thar desert in Rajasthan.
It will practice a 'pro-active' war strategy revolving around the objective of mobilizing fast under 'the cold start' doctrine and striking hard across the border to pulverize the enemy.
Meanwhile, India’s arch rival Pakistan will also be conducting its war game called Azm-e-Nau-III to train for a conventional war with India.
Pakistan's exercise will be massive. "It's aimed at validating and refining newly evolved doctrines," the head of Pakistan army's military training directorate, Muzammil Hussain, said in Rawalpindi.
The Indian Army, learning lessons from the slow mobilization during Operation Parakram - the 10-month forward troop mobilization will practice launching self-contained and highly-mobile 'battle groups,' with Russian-origin T-90S tanks and upgraded T-72 M1 tanks at their core, within 96 hours.
"The exercise will be a two-sided, day-and-night affair, with rapid and deep offensives being undertaken by the battle groups to assault and capture 'enemy' territory. It will also validate our logistics infrastructure as well as new acquisitions," said a senior officer.