PAKISTAN Foreign Office said on Thursday that the country was against arms race in the region, an apparent reference to latest arms deal worth $5.4b that would equip India with S-400 missile defence system. Speaking at the weekly news briefing on Thursday, FO spokesman Dr. Muhammad Faisal said that countries providing India any weapons should make sure their assistance does not disturb balance of power in the region. He also stated that Pakistan’s armed forces are nonetheless fully ready to respond to any aggression.
There is no doubt that Pakistani nation and its armed forces are fully resolved to foil designs of the enemy and go to any extent to defend the motherland. They have proved this in the past and no one should entertain the idea of any aggression against Pakistan, as the nation is one when it comes to survival and security of the country. However, it is also a fact that threats cannot be deterred with mere statements, thus practical steps will have to be taken to ward off dangers to the defence of the country. This is because India is shopping military hardware and latest technology from all regions of the globe. Traditionally, it remained an arms client of Russia but with the passage of time it exploited its economic and geographic clout to secure favourable deals from a number of countries including the United States, Israel, France, United Kingdom and others.
Pakistan is vulnerable to pressure because of its weak economy but India has entered into latest accord with Russia despite warnings both by the United States and China. It is also negotiating more defence deals with Moscow and Prime Minister Modi has invited Russia to set up dedicated defence industrial parks in India, a proposal that would take their defence ties to new heights and might present serious danger and threat to security and defence of Pakistan. It is quite obvious that Pakistan’s economic conditions do not allow it to indulge in arms race besides reluctance of world powers minus China to provide required weapons to Pakistan to help maintain strategic balance in the region that has helped ward off dangers of war. There is, therefore, only viable option to go for a major indigenisation programme and joint ventures with friendly countries like China and Turkey.
Source:Â https://pakobserver.net/resisting-arms-race/
