JAMMU/NEW DELHI: The death of two para commando officers in an encounter with terrorists has raised disturbing questions over defence forces’ new counterinsurgency tactics, especially in urban areas. A section of the army believes that instead of playing a waiting game, a pattern of conducting quick operations has emerged because of which casualties are rising.
WASEEM ANDRABI/HT PHOTOSmoke emanates from the building where militants hid in Pampore on Monday.
“There could definitely be some pressure from the very top to complete the operation within the minimum possible time. Here (in Pampore), they (terrorists) were holed up in a building and couldn’t have run away, so why the rush to send paras in the first place, when we could have got them anyway?” a senior army official said, wishing not to be named. Last year, two colonels fell to the bullets of terrorists in J&K, prompting defence minister Manohar Parrikar to direct the army to ensure it took no casualties “as far as possible”.
Army officials say one reason why the casualties have risen is that terrorists have refined their tactics and are striking targets where they can cause a high number of casualties, hold out for a long time against the security forces and create media hype.
“We can easily blow up a building and kill the terrorists but what about the collateral damage? So we have to strike a delicate balance and are willing to suffer casualties to save civilians,” Lieutenant General BS Jaswal, a former northern army commander, said.
China almost doubles arms exports, Pak biggest buyer
Islamabad bought 35% of weapons; India remains largest importer
BEIJING: China has become the world’s third largest weapons exporters with Pakistan emerging as the top recipient of its arms, according to a report from a leading think tank on Monday.
Communist China, which has the world’s largest military, nearly doubled its arms exports in the past 10 years, said the report on global arms trade by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Beijing is now capable of producing advanced weapons and is less dependent on imports.
With its 5.9% share of the global arms market, China is still dwarfed by the US and Russia but Beijing’s clout is clearly increasing and Islamabad is making the most of it.
“Pakistan was the main recipient of Chinese exports, accounting for 35%, followed by Bangladesh and Myanmar, accounting for 20% and 16% respectively (all three states are neighbours of India, the leading importer of arms in the region),” the report said.
China is scheduled to transfer eight submarines to Pakistan and two more to Bangladesh, the report said. Beijing and Islamabad are key allies who describe themselves as “allweather friends”, and the SIPRI report indicates a further strengthening of their military ties. China, reports say, has aided Pakistan to set up its nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes, besides supplying conventional arms. The report further said India continued to be the largest importer of major arms in 2011-15, accounting for 14% of the global total. “In 201115 India’s imports were three times greater than those of either of its regional rivals: China and Pakistan,” it said.
Unlike India, which has failed to produce “competitive indigenously designed weapons”, China has become increasingly capable of producing advanced hardware, the report said. China imported 25% less arms between 2006-10 and 2011-15.
“While in the early-2000s China was by far the largest importer, it dropped to third place in 2011-15,” the report said.
It added: “However, China remains partly dependent on imports for some key weapons and components, including large transport aircraft and helicopters, and engines for aircraft, vehicles and ships.”
In 2015, China signed orders for air defence systems and 24 combat jets from Russia, indicating that it is “not yet self-sufficient in those categories”. China’s largest supplier was Russia, which accounted for 59% of the imports, followed by France with 15% and Ukraine with 14%.
LARGEST EXPORTERS, IMPORTERS OF ARMS
China’s military budget in 2015 was over 886 billion Yuan, 10% more than the year before
AFPWeapons deals 2011-2015 Export Import % of market United States 33 / 2.9 Germany Netherlands Britain 4.5 France 5.6 2.0 Spain 3.5 4.7 Italy 2.7 Ukraine 2.6 Turkey 3.4 Pakistan UAE 4.6 Saudi Arabia 7.0 3.3 India 14 Vietnam 2.9 Russia 25 China 5.9 / Australia 3.6 South Korea 2.6 4.7 SOURCE : STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE