By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was among the biggest importers of major arms in Asia and Oceania from 2016-2020 while globally it ranked 10th, accounting for 2.7 per cent of major arms imports, a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said on Monday.
The five largest major arms importers in the time period under consideration were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia, and China.
Among them, Saudi Arabia accounted for 11pc of global imports; India 9.5pc; Egypt 5.8pc; Australia 5.1pc; and China 4.7pc. Pakistan accounted for 2.7pc of major arms imports in the five years from 2016 to 2020.
Pakistan and India: Pakistan’s main supplier during this time was China, which accounted for 74pc of the country’s imports, followed by Russia (6.6pc) and Italy (5.9pc). Compared to the previous period, Pakistan saw a 23pc decrease in arms imports.
In comparison, India’s main suppliers during this time period were Russia (49pc), France (18pc) and Israel (13pc).
The neighbouring country also saw a 33pc decrease in its total imports from 2016-2020 versus the first five years of the decade.
Another notable change in India’s imports came from the United States, which was the second-biggest supplier of arms to the country in the first five years of the decade, but fell to the fourth spot after its exports dropped by 46pc. India’s arms imports from France increased by 709pc during this time, while imports from Israel grew 82pc.
The report noted that the reasons behind the decrease in India’s overall arms imports included the lengthy process of procurement, its attempt to reduce dependence on exports from Russia, and its plans to start its own production.
However, since its own production programme is facing delays, India is instead planning several large-scale orders of arms so its imports are likely to increase over the next five years.
