ISLAMABAD: Over 200,000 troops started returning to their barracks at the end of the two-week long Pakistan’s biggest ever war exercise “Zarb-E-Momin”, in which 10 soldiers died.
The war games involved about 1,000 tracked vehicles, 16,000 to 17,000 “soft” vehicles, rapid shuttling of Pakistan railways and 2,000 sorties by fighter jets of the Pakistan air force, according to the inter-services public relations directorate (ISPR).
One of the striking features of the exercise, which is being viewed as the manifestation of army chief Gen Mirza Aslam Beg’s “riposte doctrine”, was that all the army were open to the visiting media teams.
The massive exercise which was conducted in the Indus-Jhelum Chenab corridor despite the fact that the armored formations had to undertake river and canal crossings
Reports here said that farmers whose fields had been damaged during the exercise would be paid compensation within a month. A’ committee has been set up for the same.
The exercise, which reportedly involved an expenditure of RS 160 million, was witnessed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and representatives from over 20 countries.
Zarb-E-Momin, the brainchild of Gen Beg was conducted to test new concepts and doctrines of present day warfare.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 5, 1990
