Pak-China begin joint military exercise near Jhelum

Islamabad, Nov 19 (ANI): The Pakistan-China joint military exercise, YOUYI-IV-2011, started at Mangla near Jhelum on Friday.

The national flags of two states were hoisted during the launching ceremony, which was attended by the senior military officials of Pakistan and China.

The Nation quoted Pakistan's Training and Evaluation Inspector General Lieutenant General Muzammil Hussain, who was the chief guest, as saying that China has always been Islamabad's close friend and the armies of both the countries maintain strong ties.

He said the joint drill will provide an opportunity to troops of the two states of sharing each other's experience.

Lieutenant General Zhao Jianzhong, Deputy Commander of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) attended the ceremony and highlighted the exemplary relations between Pakistan and China.

The joint exercise is aimed at familiarisation and sharing of information through an inclusive training programme.

This will also include collective training at unit and brigade levels to observe drills and procedures in low-intensity conflict operations. (ANI)