LAHORE – Pakistan has shown interest to sign a deal to purchase militaryhardware worth billions of dollars from Russia.
According to reports, the deal is expected to amount $9 billion under whichIslamabad would purchase heavy and medium fighter jets, medium andshort-range air defense systems, tanks, combat helicopters, and warships.
For years, China has remained the major arms supplier to Pakistan,especially after the latter decided to reduce its reliance on the US.
Reports quoted Konstantin Makienko, the deputy director of the Moscow-baseddefense think tank Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.Makeinko revealed that two types of Russian military hardware can makePakistan’s shopping list, i.e., the new Russian fighter jet MiG-35 and theheavy transport helicopter Mi-26T2.
However, the news is yet to be confirmed by Pakistani officials.
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Pakistan was the 9th largest importer of major weapons in the world, whilethe country witnessed a staggering 36 per cent decrease in arms importsduring the last five years, according to a report by the StockholmInternational Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published last year.SIPRI revealed that China continues to be the largest exporter of weaponsto Pakistan, accounting for an astonishing 70 per cent of the total armsimports of the South Asian country.
The United States of America (US) is second on the list, with a 12 per centshare in the export of weapons to the nation. The Russian Federation, whichhas warmed up ties with Pakistan in recent years, is third, and has a 5.7%stake in its defense sector.
Outlining the contribution of the US to the defense industry in Pakistan,SIPRI says that there has been a substantial decrease in US arms exports toPakistan as successive administrations in Washington have adopted a moreaggressive policy against the country to express their frustration overIslamabad’s perceived lack of action against militants.
