ISLAMABAD, Sept 4: The largest-ever strategic exercise of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF, High Mark-2005) started on Sunday. According to a PAF spokesman, Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmad Khan, the month-long exercise will be conducted in three phases.

He told the BBC in an interview that about 350 fighter planes would take part in the exercise and that the army and the navy would also participate. The exercise will be conducted in the central part of the country in the first phase, in northern areas in the second and in southern areas in the third phase.

According to the spokesman, all planes of the PAF, pilots, airbases, engineers, air defence and management crew will take part in the exercise. The exercise, he said, would provide the best training opportunity to fighters and the support elements of the three forces.

Air Commodore Sarfraz said preparations had been made for six months for the games which would closely resemble the real war situation. President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and chiefs of the three forces would witness the exercise, he added.

Strategic observers from Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and France have been invited for the games.—Online