India’s Economic
Warfare against Pakistan By Sajjad Shaukat (JR138SS27)
As part of the
continued propaganda campaign, Indian media leaves no stone unturned in
targeting Pakistan. India’s economic warfare against Pakistan, which needs an
appropriate analysis, is also part to this malicious campaign.
In this regard,
under the caption, “Economy in Shambles but Pakistan wants to increase the
defence budget”, Indian Zee News reported
in an ambiguous style on February 19, this year, “Pakistan has been facing
different kinds of threats starting from conventional war to unconventional and
now in the midst of a hybrid war which is the ‘synchronised use of multiple
instruments of power tailored to specific vulnerabilities across the full
spectrum of societal functions to achieve synergistic effects. The principal
objective behind this hybrid war is to weaken Pakistan through a synchronised
attack that includes economic warfare, supporting domestic unrest, diplomatic
onslaught, along with regular and irregular military operations. Pakistan armed
forces have always been the prime target of anti-state actors. They have been
targeting via different methods including defence budget. The largest
expenditure item in the budget is debt-servicing. The second largest
expenditure are eaten up by losses of Public Sector Enterprises (like PIA, the
Pakistan Steel Mills, power sector and Pakistan Railways). The third largest
chunk will go for the Public Sector Development Programme (federal plus
provincial). And the fourth largest allocation will go towards ‘Defence Affairs
and Services’. There is a myth that the defence budget takes away the lion’s
share of the total budgetary outlay [Not true]. In Budget 2018-19, ‘Defence
Affairs and Services’ will consume around 18 percent of all the government expenditures.
What this means is that a full 82 percent of all government expenditures are
not defence related. Most of the people also says that
the defence budget has been increasing at a high rate
[Again not true].”
Focusing on
Pakistan’s defence budget, it added, “In the financial year 2001/2002, 17 years
ago, the allocation for defence amounted to 4.6 percent of GDP,
in 2003-04 amount to 3.9 percent of GDP and in 2018-19 just 3.2
percent of our GDP ( it has allocated Rs1.1 trillion for ‘Defence Affairs and
Services’ out of our Rs34 trillion total budget). Pakistan spends a very low percentage of its
GDP on defence. There are at least 50 countries (including India, Sri Lanka,
Jordan, Liberia) that spend a higher percentage of their GDPs on defence. Pakistan’s
armed forces are the 6th largest in the world, but our expenses per soldier are
the lowest. The US spends $460,000 per soldier, Saudi Arabia $340,000, India
$33,000, Egypt $18,000 and Pakistan $12,000. So such allegations are done with
some purpose. Few days back Pakistan information minister Fawad Chaudhry said
that “The country’s defence budget is already low as compared to other states
in the region, and therefore it should be increased.”
However, while
exaggerating Pakistan’s internal challenges, Zee News ignored Indian internal
threats and ambitious defence policy which continues
unabated.
As regards
India’s defence expenditures, on February 28, 2015, New Delhi announced its ruthless
defense budget amounting to 2.47 trillion Indian rupees ($40.07 billion), a 7.9
percent increase for the fiscal year starting from April 1, 2015, suggesting
that it will move with the military’s long wish list for fighter jets, ships
and artillery, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government presented its
first budget. For that fiscal year, the allocation was 2.29 trillion rupees, a
jump of 12 percent over the previous year.
While exposing
India’s unlimited defense policy, Washington-based Center for Strategic &
International Studies (CSIS) had disclosed in its report of April 2011 that
India had planned “to spend an estimated $80 billion on military modernization
programs by 2015 so as to further increase its military build-up against China and
disrupt security-balance in South Asia…India is expected to maintain this
position in the coming years.”
The CSIS report
elaborated, “Consequently, India’s defense budget has roughly quadrupled (in
real terms) since 2001…reaching $36.3 billion in the 2011–2012 budget…and
enabled the implementation of long-term acquisition plans.”
It is notable
that in February 2010, Indian military procurement units descended on the
DefExpo 2010 trade fair in New Delhi. Inaugurating the Indian Defense
Exhibition, Defense Minister A.K. Antony had said that India’s defense
expenditure which is 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) is going
to increase. He pointed out, “Our government is committed to rapid
modernization of armed forces.”
In this
connection, in its report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) revealed on March 20, 2012, “India is the world’s largest recipient of
arms…India’s imports of major weapons increased by 38 percent between 2002-06
and 2007-11.”
In another
report, SIPRI had disclosed on February 22, 2015 that India is the world’s
largest recipient of arms—“India (14 percent of global arms imports), China
(4.7 per cent), Australia (3.6 per cent) and Pakistan (3.3 per cent).” In its
report of 2016 also SIPRI pointed out India’s arms-import.
According
to the ‘Military Balance 2018’ report by the International Institute for
Strategic Studies (IISS), “India’s defence budget broke into the world’s top five…beating the UK
for the first time…India overtook the UK as the fifth-largest defence spender
in the world in 2017 at $52.5 billion, up from $51.1 billion in 2016.”
New Delhi’s
military is acquiring a slew of new equipments from combat aircraft to
submarines and artillery. It is currently finalising a deal with France’s
Dassault Aviation to buy 126 Rafale fighter jets in a contract worth an
estimated $12 billion.
Although peace
and brinksmanship cannot co-exist in the modern era, yet India seeks to
destabilize Asia through its aggressive designs, activated with new arms race.
During his first
visit to New Delhi, on November 6, 2010 the US President Barack Obama had announced
the measures, America would take regarding removal of Indian space and defence
companies from a restricted “entities list”, and supported Indian demand for a
permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
By setting aside
the Indian poor record regarding the safety of nuclear weapons and materials
and despite Indian violations of various international agreements and its
refusal to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
(CTBT) and Additional Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), Washington signed a pact of nuclear civil technology with New Delhi in
2008. During President Obama’s visit to India, on January 25, 2016, the US and
India announced a breakthrough on the pact which would allow American companies
to supply New Delhi with civilian nuclear technology.
Earlier, on
November 2, 2010, the US also agreed to sell India the most expensive—the new
F-35 fighter jets including US F-16 and F-18 fighters, C-17 and C-130 aircraft,
radar systems, Harpoon weapons etc. Besides acquisition of arms and weapons
from other western countries—especially Israel, America is a potential military
supplier to India. US also pressurized IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group to
grant a waiver to New Delhi for obtaining civil nuclear trade on larger scale. In
fact, US wants New Delhi to continue anti-China and anti-Pakistan role.
Similarly, by
pursuing the double standards of America in its worst form, American President
Donald Trump also intends to favour India, while opposing the nuclear weapons
of Pakistan.
It is
worth-mentioning that in the recent past, Indian civil society organizations,
while complaining of excessive defense spending, indicated that the government
spends very little amount for the betterment of people.
Indian defense
analyst Ravinder Pal Singh, while indicating New Delhi’s unending defense
expenditures at the cost of poverty-alleviation, calls it guns-versus-butter
question.
Even some of
Indian officials are surprised in relation to Indian defense expenditure which
has no bounds. For example, an official of the country’s finance ministry
remarked, “There is a dilemma…poverty needs to be eradicated to prevent men
from taking to the guns…but more funds for security means less money for
poverty alleviation.”
Secretary
General of the Control Arms Foundation of India Binalakshmi Nepram stated,
“When people are dying of poverty and bad sanitation, what protection will arms
provide them?”
A report of
United Nations pointed out that India ranks 134th of 182 countries on the
United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index. It estimated
that 50 per cent of the world’s undernourished population lives in India.
Nearly 31 per cent of the billion-plus Indians earn less than a dollar a day.
It is mentionable
that under the mask of democracy and secularism, Indian subsequent regimes
dominated by politicians from the Hindi heartland—Hindutva (Hindu nationalism),
have been using brutal force ruthlessly against any move to free Assam,
Kashmir, Khalistan, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu and Tripura where wars of
liberation continue in one or the other form.
In the recent
years, Maoist intensified their struggle, attacking official installments. In
this context, Indian media admitted that Maoists have entered the cities,
expanding their activities against the Indian union. While, even under the rule
of Congress which claims to be secular party, Indian extremist parties like
BJP, RSS, VHP, Shev Sina and Bajrang Dal have missed no opportunity to
communalize national politics of India.
Notably, after
serving the BJP for 30 years, Indian Minister of External affairs Jaswant Singh
was expelled from the party for praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Founder of
Pakistan) and echoing the pain of the Indian Muslims in his book, “Jinnah:
India, Partition, Independence.” While pointing out the BJP’s attitude towards
the minorities, Singh wrote: “Every Muslim that lives in India is a loyal
Indian…look into the eyes of Indian Muslims and see the pain.” He warned in his
book, if such a policy continued, “India could have third partition.”
Reportedly, in
2015, Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh had highlighted his focus to build
the capacity of security forces engaged in fighting uprising and separatism.
Indian Central Government finalized the raising of Indian Reserve Police
Battalions (IRBPs) in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and Naxal/Maoist hit states
or Left Wing Extremism (LWE) areas, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Out of the
total 25 IRBPs proposed, five were for IOK and 12 for LWE affected states
whereas rest of 8, IRBPs for other states.
The mentioned
increase was a part of overall drive against Naxal/Maoist affected states and
the Indian Controlled Kashmir, including other regions where similar movements
continue unabated against the political, social and economic system of India,
which is based upon injustices.
And despite
concerted efforts—capacity, capability, weapons, equipments and training, the
Indian security forces could not effectively counter and reduce the insurgent
activities in these states.
Nevertheless, by
following an ambitious defence policy blindly, New Delhi has not only neglected
the modern global trends like renunciation of war, disarmament, peaceful
settlement of disputes and economic development, but has also set aside
internal threats such as acute poverty and separatist movements/insurgency.
In these terms,
like the former Soviet Union, particularly, separatist movements which pose a
serious challenge to the Indian federation will culminate into disintegration
of the Indian union. Hence, instead of waging economic warfare against
Pakistan, Zee News must better pay attention to Indian internal threats, including
its growing defence budget.
Sajjad Shaukat
writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic
Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International
Relations
Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
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