Amid strained ties with India, Pakistan has acknowledged New Delhi’s expanding military strength and defence modernisation, stating that Islamabad is not seeking a financially draining arms race with the country. The statement comes at a time when India continues to expand and modernise its missile, air-defence and conventional military capabilities.

Pakistan Says It Respects India’s Military Capabilities

In an interview with Al Arabiya English on Wednesday, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that Islamabad respects India’s military strength but does not want to compete with it through increased weapons spending. He noted that the country is aware of India’s growing military capabilities and its decision to invest heavily in defence.

When asked about India’s developments in missiles, air defence and conventional strike capabilities, Chaudhry said, “Pakistan respects India’s military capabilities. We understand their desire to spend lots of resources on arms. However, we are not looking to get into an arms race with India.” He emphasised that Islamabad considers its military capabilities primarily defensive and noted that Islamabad does not have aggressive intentions towards other countries.

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“We have no aggressive design on any country in the world,” Chaudhary said. He added, “We are fully confident of our defensive capabilities, first to defend and to inflict punishment.” His remarks come at a time when India continues to test and develop new missile and air-defence systems.

India Continues To Develop New Missile Systems

In May, India successfully tested an Advanced Agni missile fitted with a Multiple Independently Targeted Re-entry Vehicle system. The Defence Ministry stated that the test demonstrated the missile’s ability to strike multiple geographically separated targets with a single missile. Similarly in July, India conducted the maiden flight test of the Kusha long-range surface-to-air missile, which is designed to counter aerial threats.

Furthermore, the Defence Ministry has also approved the transfer of technology for conventionally armed missile systems developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation to Indian industry, as part of efforts to increase domestic defence production.

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