Russia on Friday outrightly dismissed what it called "fake reports" of increasing economic ties with Pakistan, especially through the planned setting up of steel mills in Karachi.
Recent news reports from Pakistan indicated that Moscow and Islamabad are seeking new frontiers for industrial cooperation, including a proposal to restore the Soviet-era heritage of cooperation by setting up steel manufacturing plants in partnership.
The reports cited the 1970s Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) project, which was designed and funded by the then-Soviet Union.
This new proposal, as reported by Pakistani sources, was discussed in a meeting on May 13 at Islamabad between Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Denis Nazaroof, a Moscow representative.
The two officials held lengthy discussions regarding the possibility of cooperation and decided to have a joint working group in place to make the setting up of a steel mill in Karachi easier," The Express Tribune posted after the meeting.
Khan has reportedly pointed out Pakistan's investment-friendly environment and said, "Pakistan is a safe and vibrant center for investment and the global community has identified its potential.
But the reports were met with skepticism by the fact that Pakistan has been hit by persistent economic crisis and its deep dependence on International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout packages to maintain the country's economy.
Moscow sources admitted that initial talks had been held but rubbished allegations of any agreed or concrete deal, particularly those suggesting a "multibillion dollar contract."
Russian authorities were strongly critical of what they termed as "completely fabricated" reports, which hinted at the possibility of attempts at disinformation aimed at weakening the robust India-Russia strategic relationship, which has intensified in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor—a military campaign launched recently against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
This looks like an overblown report from people attempting to create controversy and undermine current alliances for sensational reasons," a top Russian government official said in an interview with reporters on Friday.
India's military campaign, which severely dented Pakistan's terror network, was facilitated by Russian-supplied military equipment. The S-400 air defence systems were said to have intercepted numerous incoming projectiles, and the Indo-Russian co-developed BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles were used to attack high-value targets.
In a recent interview with IANS, Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership and commended India’s decisive response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a telephonic conversation with PM Modi last month, was optimistic that those guilty of the Pahalgam episode "will be identified, traced and penalized." President Putin is also set to visit India later this year.
"There isn't anyone anywhere in the world who questions the credentials of Prime Minister Modi. His steadfast leadership is leading the nation to global leadership. India and Russia both believe in a multipolar world order with no global power or group of nations controlling that order," Ambassador Alipov told in his interview on Wednesday. "This was reiterated during the exchange of words between President Putin and Prime Minister Modi on May 5."
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