The Indian government has announced a 10 per cent increase in its military budget — pushing spending in this sector to a whopping 36 billion dollars. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Militarisation of the subcontinent continues unabated — and this trend has been further fed by India’s latest increase in its defence spending.
The Indian government has announced a 10 per cent increase in its military budget — pushing spending in this sector to a whopping 36 billion dollars. This increase is likely to trigger alarms — not only in Islamabad, but also in Beijing among other regional capitals. Yet it is the concern in Islamabad that is the one that is unsettling.
Just for some context, India’s increase alone — of over 3.5 billion dollars — equals Pakistan’s entire budget, which hovers around the four billion dollar mark. While it is not necessary that the increased budget is Pakistan-centric, perceptions in such cases are as important as reality. And the perception here is that most of India’s formations dot its western border.
China already has the largest army in the world with a huge budget. But a suspicious Pakistan cannot match the finances on conventional arms. Therefore, in turn, to compensate for quantity Pakistan has been pushed to ‘quality’ — and not in a good way — taking to developing smaller, quickly-deployable tactical nuclear weapons to counter the burgeoning Indian military machine. Aside from the dangers involved with such weapons, this trend is pushing an arms race between two countries with millions living below the poverty line.
It is India’s right to increase defence spending, and it may also be argued that this increase is in line with inflation and/or the increase of its overall budget. Yet, if one looks back only a year, the increase in India’s defence budget was just a tick over five per cent. Effectively, a year later India has doubled up on its increase. That’s sending the wrong signals.
Its complaints and concerns about Pakistan aside, Delhi must realise that it is the powerhouse in the subcontinent. This means that the onus of setting the trend is on it. At the end of the day, it’s a simple equation: If there is to be peace, there need to be fewer guns pointing at each other and more diplomacy. As the biggest stakeholder, Delhi must lead by example and send a responsible message: that it gives politics and diplomacy precedence over militarisation.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2014.
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COMMENTS (62)
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@Usman: India is more focussed on its development that defence. The proposed defence budget for 2014-15 is only 1.74% of India's GDP, less than 2%. Can you tell me what percentage of the GDP Pakistan or China spend on their defence? Its India's lowest ever defence budget since 1962 in relation to its GDP. Also, except Pakistan none of the India's neighbours are concerned about her defence expenditure and China cant be concerned as its defence budget is more than 4 or 5 times of India.
@sh(india): India's defence spending will cross $100 billion by 2025 i.e. in next 10 years. If India spent just 5% of its GDP on defence it would have crossed 100 billion mark this very year.
@Usman
And do tell in this "history of military conflicts with Pakistan and China" who has been the aggressor?? If you can answer that you would understand India's stand
The fate of India and Pakistan will not be determined by their armies or the lethal equipment but by the patience and endurance of their political leadership! Each of them has the potential to implode and this is their destiny; they are condemned to live as neighbours until the time that they vanish from this planet!
Rex Minor .
.
India has 1/6th of the Humanity under its borders. Compared to World GDP, what is the percentage spent on defence? Don't you think 1/6th of the Humanity needs atleast 1% of world GDP to be spent on them?
Also, considering India's GDP is $1.4 Trillion, it is spending a measly $35 Billion(As mentioned in the article)on its Defence.
So on accounts India is spending very less on defence and is justified in spending more.
Maths speak louder than propaganda.
@SM: " Perhaps you do not know but military experts at RMS Sandhurt and West Point have all come to the conclusion that Indian military and political leaders will not respond to a tactical nuclear attack" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thats similar to the thinking that led to Kargil debacle for Pakistan: " these are Baniyas and will never fight back". Indian Military has constantly outwitted Pakistan in each and every war. Pls study.
Pakistan has nuclear weapons and has a first use policy. As long as it is confident about its nuclear arsenal and delivery, why is it cribbing about India's conventional expansion ? All it needs to do is maintain this deterrent. Why does it have to go in for an arms race with India.
India declares itself a soft power and secular state but in reality the Indian ideology of “Akhand Bharat” is what Indian political establishment is planning. It includes the Indian hegemonic design that India wants to coerce smaller states to follow Indian policies. India is increasing its military budget for conventional arms, missiles and vessels that surely is threat not to region but to the major states that are in the range of military assets. It is matter of worry for international community to stop trade of weapons.
I doubt that any Indian general or political party (even BJP) or priest ever said that they would plant the Indian flag in Islamabad. Nor did any Indian say that their religious doctrine dictates that all "Others" must be converted. Can one say the same about Pakistan? Look up Faith Freedom and educate yourselves.
Its complaints and concerns about Pakistan aside, Delhi must realise that it is the powerhouse in the subcontinent. This means that the onus of setting the trend is on it.
India is very satisfied not doing anything as far as Pakistan is concerned. Where does this entitlement as far as Pakistan is concerned come from?
Also it must be noted that India has not interfered in internal politics of neighboring countries, namely Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Maldives, Afghanistan, for close to two decades now even when the political climate in a country was as odds with India.
@Usman: India has very little options in defence spending.the best way to counter attacks be it the Mumbai type terror operations or full scale attacks preparedness with the latest is the best form of defence,As Mao said power grows out of the barrel of a gun and that is a language all nations and neighbours including China understand and more importantly respect.
@polpot: Perhaps you do not know but military experts at RMS Sandhurt and West Point have all come to the conclusion that Indian military and political leaders will not respond to a tactical nuclear attacks on advancing Indian columns with strategic weapons dropped on Pakistani cities.
Pakistani plans for responding to invading Indian army IBGs are exactly what NATO had planned for responding to the invading Soviet forces in Europe during the Cold War.
@truthbetold: Mr Genius Bangladesh govt has no issues with Indian military neither does Nepal or bhutan. Nepal has finally realized Pro-China Maoists r a pain in the backside and cant govern. Regarding Sri Lanka yes we have issues but then Pak has issues with Afghanistan so wht ans do u have for tht? also Iran is threatening action over its kidnapped guards. India has not done a single act against Sri Lanka that cane be termed hostile in recent 10 years. U encourage terrorism in Afghanistan ans on tht
If I were a Pakistani I would be digging an underground nuclear safe environ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Cause the Indian response to a tactical nuclear device from Pakistan would be much more than tactical. It would be catastrophic.
Somehow the "liberals" in Pakistan always tend to blame the Pakistani (establishment) for the problems with India. They forget, since they see history through their rose-colored glasses, that India also has made many mistakes in its dealings with not only Pakistan but all other countries in the region.
Reading the comments section here shames me that instead of defending Pakistan (or at least being balanced) our younger and liberal people tend to blame Pakistan at all times. Do we see Indians of any political genre do that anywhere? They always tend to protect India. I am sorry to say that most of our elite and educated classes blame the country and the land which gave them all they have today..Had Pakistan not been there, we would have seen how they would be any better than most Indians in a "multi-cultural" India.
Worth restating that... +++++++++++++++ Pakistan is an army with a country and India quite the opposite.
Pakistan’s aim is not to engage in relentless production but to attain sufficiency for a spectrum of nuclear weapons, strategic, operational and tactical and to assure a second-strike capability.
By trying to call Pakistan’s nuclear bluff and evolving ‘proactive’ doctrines, India’s moves pushed Pakistan to develop Tactical Nuclear Weapons to deter Cold Start and re-establish nuclear stability.
Pakistan's credible minimum deterrent appears to be dynamic and sensitive to evolving threats. Pakistan's tactical nuclear weapons demonstrate a qualitative shift in the country’s nuclear posture to which counter-force and flexible response options have now been added by targeting the enemy's military forces. Therefore, Pakistan should be expected in future to respond to any threat that may potentially affect the credibility of its conventional and nuclear deterrent.
Pakistan’s nuclear and conventional deterrence is aimed at preventing an Indian conventional and nuclear attack against Pakistan at any level. Thus, a Cold Start Doctrine type adventure by India would amount to the very failure of Pakistan’s deterrent. In such a scenario, nuclear weapons, both tactical and strategic, would be likely be used if the Pakistani nuclear thresholds are crossed.
Pakistan nuclear Program is Indian Centric. It is based on the defensive response and to maintain a “credible minimum deterrence”. Pakistan is the smaller country with a correspondingly smaller economy Defence budget and armed forces then India. Pakistan Proposal for Nuclear Weapon free zone South Asia after the 1974 nuclear test of India. Failure for Nuclear Umbrella .So Pakistan have to rely on Nuclear weapons for it long term security concerns. Indian pursuance of de-stabilizing Cold Start Doctrine (CSD) and subsequent military exercises.
The doctrine envisages a mechanized blitzkrieg operation by integrated battle groups launching a short land incursion of 72-96 hours duration. Indian Army will then have to execute a synchronized maneuver that disrupts enemy lines of communication and forces them into a distorted and chaotic response. Introduction of CSD in South Asia has managed to change the dynamics of the region making it even more destabilized than before. India was the world’s largest importer of major conventional weapons from 2006–12.
Unfortunately Indian rupee depreciated by more than 10% in the last year, so in dollar terms the defence budget is stagnant at around $35 billion dollars. It is not fair to expect India, China or for that matter Pakistan to voluntarily reduce defence budget. We all know strong defence buys peace.
Indian decision making centre has been occupied by hawkish military Industrial complex. That's why they have turned every penny to weapons developments. This will benefit few handful persons sitting in Delhi. Unfortunately, millions of poor people are under poverty line as the country has changed to security conscious state.
Why Indian statesmen make fun of its very peoples’ hunger, diseases and poverty in front of the whole. The increase in defence budget by cutting short from welfare budget actually increased the sufferings of poor nationals nothing else
Why we suffer for the Indian government high ambitions? The increase in defence budget means cut short of our capital. People are living without shelters and poor living conditions. But the government loves to threaten other nations no matter what is happening with nationals.
Nice Timing...I hope the Paki Pres visiting China has read it ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Always useful in begging some more.
two famous statements come into mind after reading this Indian news of increase defence budget...
"We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security."
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron." - Dwight D. Eisenhower" Effectively, a year later India has doubled up on its increase. That’s sending the wrong signals." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ And signals from Pakistan...not an iota of progress on the prosecution of Mumbai accused. Indians are not going to forget or forgive.
INDIA’S neighbours must be alarmed by yet another, sizeable rise in its defence budget — it has gone up to a whopping increase of 10%. India’s economic development should not make its policymakers oblivious to the needs of their people. Despite the rapid expansion of its middle class, India suffers from grinding poverty and has the world’s largest concentration of illiterate people. Besides, a very large number of its troops are bogged down in Kashmir because of New Delhi’s refusal to seek a peaceful solution to the problem. The hike in India’s military budget thus gives the wrong message to its neighbours and perpetuates tensions in South Asia. The neighbours’ concerns are not baseless, because India is not on the best of terms with them, and it has a history of military conflicts with Pakistan and China.
So if Indian Defense spending was unchanged Pakistan would stop its short distance Nuclear Weapons Programme? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Balderash.........
The Security Environment for India can degrade upon US Withdrawal from Afghanistan +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ its commensurable that India is gearing up to handle that. Pakistan on the other hand has to discover life without Freebies like CSF......!
An editorial should be a comprhensive anlaysis. In this case it glosses over the fact that India needs money to finance the raising of two mountain brigades in the eastern sector, to pay for the Rafael aircraft ordered from France and the chinhook and apache helicopters it is buying from USA.
Pakistan should focus on nuclear technology and missile technology along with satellites
The region is wracked by violence from state and non State actors who do not respect National boundaries. Militarization is a signal to the Terrorists and their supporters that some countries are not willing to barter away their territory and if forced will be willing to hit where it hurts them. National boundary is Sovereign and India continues to communicate that States should not shelter, finance, train and support terrorists -- if they do they will not be sovereign. Those threatening Peace in the region must be sent a strong message that they will be held accountable for fomenting violence, color or ideology being immaterial. Mollycoddling violent, bigoted and intolerant humans will not bring Peace to any country. To send a strong message a strong will is needed, not empty threats. As long as Pakistan keeps increasing its Defense budgets to match the Indian spend, it will be willingly playing into the opponents hands, inducing bankruptcy the goal. Just as India does not care about the Chinese, American or Israeli Defense budgets, there is no reason for Pakistan to chase others budgets. Economic might and Intellectual Capital are the new currencies of global power and domination, not military expenditure. Nations must move from living in the past to dreaming positively of the future. A negative mindset will be a burden too heavy to carry.
The people of Pakistan must impress upon Pakistan’s military that India will not necessarily oblige by retaliating in a manner desired by Pakistan’s military. As Operation Gibraltar in 1965 has shown India will not necessarily retaliate in a manner expected by Pakistan’s military. Just as India escalated its response to Pakistan’s aggression under Operation Gibraltar by expanding the theater of operations from areas across the Line of Control to areas across the International border, use of tactical nuclear weapons by Pakistan on Indian interests anywhere will in all probability result in a massive and disproportionate response by India.
Reading the article by Mr. Shyam Saran who served as the Chairman of India’s National Security Advisory Board should disabuse Pakistani’s of any notion on the efficacy of using tactical nuclear weapons against Indian interests anywhere:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/dealing-with-pakistans-brinkmanship/article4171664.ece
One of those India centric authors who conveniently ignores the rising threat of China with a defense budget of $160 billion and increasing their assertiveness case in point issues in the south china sea. India has to increase the budget not only to counter this threat but also to modernise its outdated military. It's only elementary.
one should remember that we have border with china and burma also.
That day is not far when india's defence budget rises to 100 billion dollars. In next 50-100 years there will be no doubt about it.
Subcontient Badmash in development .
summerize the entire report
Pakistan should not be concerned at all. Please understand that India is Bharat-Ganarajya, the Union of Bharat.It has a distinct identity, the oldest nation, the oldest religion with many super cool things about it.Its military posturing is relative to its inherent status in the world.It has nothing to do with Pakistan, whihc India woul perceive like any non Indian state - the "Other", but there is noo specific enmity..How do you know that India wants Pakistan or that there is any historical connection, just because the British ruled these two regions as one?.
" Delhi must lead by example and send a responsible message: that it gives politics and diplomacy precedence over militarisation" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ No. India must bear in mind its experience of dealing with Pakistan in 1948, 1965 1971 and Kargil. Those who ignore the lessons of history are apt to repeat it.
The pot calling the kettle black. India is only spending so much to protect itself against aggressive neighbors. We are very poor and would rather spend all that money on education, infrastructure and social welfare programs, but are forced to maintain a large army, navy and air-force. As our former PM Vajpayee famously said "You can change friends but not neighbors".
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives do not care about Indian Military budget even though they do not have much weapons. The only 2 countries threatened by Indian Military are Pakistan and China.
In 1962 China invaded India to send a message ...its a message India learned the hard way and will never forget. Pakistan invaded India 3 years later when India was at its weakest (both in arms and politics). And In any future war between China and India( If any), Pakistan will certainly join with China...so India needs to be prepared for a 2 front war...
So India will keep spending on its Military capability irrespective of Pakistan's capability. We do not care if Pakistan builds another 1000 nuclear bombs etc ...we stopped caring once the bomb threshold crossed 50.
India has worked very hard to build a country that is the envy of several others, India must always be ready and prepared to defend it as well.
Granted that as Express Tribune in her editorial has correctly said that India “is the powerhouse in the subcontinent” though the conclusion of the “onus of setting the trend” lies not with India but with Pakistan given that is they who have the dubious distinction of starting the majority of overt conflicts with India and continue to foment covert terrorist acts in India. Such. It was Pakistan that started the overt conflicts in 1948, 1965 and 1999 by sending in “tribal” “mujahideen” into India and regards covert action, it was Pakistan that exported terrorists who perpetrated the Mumbai in attack in 2011. With Pakistan currently in the economic critical care ward of the IMF, the onus lies on Pakistan to help herself and slash her defence budget without expectation of any reciprocity from India. Pakistan need not concern herself with poverty in India. India will and is bootstrapping herself slowly and steadily out of that mire.
India too should go in for miniature war heads on a massive scale along with the big ones. India should increase its defense budget to 5% of its GDP so that we Indians don't ever come under the barbarians again. The last time we let our defense suffer, we had to be under the mlechas for 10 centuries.
Granted that as Express Tribune in her editorial has correctly said that India “is the powerhouse in the subcontinent” though the conclusion of the “onus of setting the trend” lies not with India but with Pakistan given that is they who have the dubious distinction of starting the majority of overt conflicts with India and continue to foment covert terrorist acts in India. It was Pakistan that started the overt conflicts in 1948, 1965 and 1999 by sending in “tribal” “mujahideen” into India and regards covert action, it was Pakistan that exported terrorists who perpetrated the Mumbai in attack in 2011. With Pakistan currently in the economic critical care ward of the IMF, the onus lies on Pakistan to help herself and slash her defence budget without expectation of any reciprocity from India. Pakistan need not concern herself with poverty in India. India will and is bootstrapping herself slowly and steadily out of that mire.
The subcontinent neighbours China to the North and North East of India. So, using your logic, China should set a "good example"! If only nations behaved that way. In addition, Pakistan's enmity with India is so deeply entrenched into it's national psyche that India's size has never detered it from launching four wars and many terror attacks.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives do not care about Indian Military budget even though they do not have much weapons. The only 2 countries threatened by Indian Military are Pakistan and China.
In 1962 China invaded India to send a message ...its a message India learned the hard way and will never forget. Pakistan invaded India 3 years later when India was at its weakest (both in arms and politics). And In any future war between China and India( If any), Pakistan will certainly join with China...so India needs to be prepared for a 2 front war...
So India will keep spending on its Military capability irrespective of Pakistan's capability. We do not care if Pakistan builds another 1000 nuclear bombs etc ...we stopped caring once the bomb threshold crossed 50.
India has worked very hard to build a country that is the envy of several others, India must always be ready and prepared to defend it as well.
Why is Pakistan always afraid of anything India do? Please try to control terrorism in Pakistan
@Arif Mohamed Khan:
"Ironically if we don’t foment mischief all around, we can simply ignore India and spend zero rupees on military."
There, that is the truth! Why is that Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka or Burma don't share the same concern as Pakistan regarding Indian defense spending?
Dear Editor, while Pakistanis may be obsessed with maintaining some form of parity with India, and with keeping India boxed in as a regional peer of Pakistan, the fact is that India has now become an important axis of the Asia-Pacific geopolitical sphere, with increasing interest and ties to ASEAN and East Asian economies ringing the South and East China seas. To that effect, India must have a defence budget that allows for a blue water navy, and air/land/sea launched strategic assets with a power projection ability to safeguard its economic and geopolitical interests against a possibly belligerent China and its satellites in the region. India's defence spending is aimed at securing India's borders and interests, and the interests of its allies and friends in the globe, and cannot be held hostage to Pakistan's unfortunately grandiose desires and consequent inabilities to fulfill them. Pakistanis, of course, have a choice to either try to match India lockstep ( as usual ) or understand the futility of its pursuit for parity with a country eight times larger in size and GDP. It is very simple, and Pakistanis just need to wake up, smell the coffee and give up the wild dreams of parity they have sustained since 1947.
So who started this race? If Pakistan had not claimed Kashmir in 1948 and follow up with three wars, Kargil adventure etc etc. If Pakistan fore go the claim on Kashmir and get rid of non state actors India can get breathing room and slash defense budget by 20 to 30%. The India and Pakistan are de-linked number of years ago. There is no comparison perid.
All those people who keep posting on FB and Tribune that India poses no threat to Pakistan and that somehow we (Pakistan) are the cause of that problem only... what does its militarization mean to them now???
It is India’s right to increase defence spending..... I must say the author has guts. So, Pakistan is not allowed to cancel out the affect of conventional warfare. Failed to understand what the author is on about. We can not just sit down and watch our neighbour gearing up. THANKS for your suggestion.
Dear Editorial,
While I agree in true spirit the overall peace overture you have suggested, don't you think the answer to peace lies in China ? Lets face the facts. China is expanding it's military rapidly and along with it , it is also becoming more agresive with it's neighbors. India is pushing up it's defense expenditure with excuse to contain China, and Pakistan is doing the same with India under their lense. If China stops being such a bully in the region, and cuts down it's defense expenditure, India will no longer need to contain anybody and will subsequently follow. I understand for many Pakistanis China is a friend. But globally reality China is major pain in "you know where" for rest of the world. And all of it for wrong reasons.
10% rise....not much at all....keeping in view of the slowdown...its ok....
Ironically if we don't foment mischief all around, we can simply ignore India and spend zero rupees on military.
We have a million internal problems to focus on, we have to survive as one country first.