Tensions between India and Pakistan never seem to subside completely. Skirmishes on the Line of Control and Pak-trained insurgency are all issues that we have to deal with constantly. Now with the developments in Afghanistan, there could be a renewed assault on India, especially in Kashmir. Doubtlessly, the Indian military forces are always ready for any eventuality. They are supported by state-of-the-art weaponry, vehicles, naval fleet and aircrafts. In this article we present a comparison between Indian Army and Pakistan Army based on the latest stats.
Finances/Budgetary allocation
According to the ministry of defence, the Indian government has allotted a budget of Rs 4,78,196 crore for defence expenditure in the current financial year 2021-22, which is 13.73 percent of overall central government expenditure.
In case of Pakistan the Defence budget in 2021-22, The defence budget climbed by 44 billion dollars, bringing the total to 1370 billion dollars this year.
According to estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the military accounted for more than 20% of Pakistan’s yearly government spending between 1993 and 2006. According to SIPRI, India’s military spending as a proportion of total government spending stayed below 12% throughout the same time. In 2017, it was 9.1 percent.
Missiles and nuclear weapons
Both countries possess nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, India possesses nine operational missiles, including the Agni-3, which has a range of 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers. According to CSIS, Pakistan’s missile program, which was constructed with Chinese support, contains mobile short- and medium-range weapons capable of reaching any area of India. The Shaheen 2 has the greatest range, with a range of up to 2,000 kilometers. The nuclear might is comparable with around 140 warheads for both countries.
According to the IISS, India has a 1.2 million-strong army with 3,565 combat tanks, 3,100 infantry fighting vehicles, 336 armored personnel carriers, and 9,719 pieces of artillery.
With 560,000 men, 2,496 tanks, 1,605 armored personnel carriers, and 4,472 artillery weapons, including 375 self-propelled howitzers, Pakistan’s army is smaller.
India’s fighter fleet has 538 aircraft compared to Pakistan’s 356, however Pakistan will very definitely fight defensively in any battle. This would allow Pakistan’s air artillery to assist offset part of the numerical deficit, and in a defensive battle, India’s numerical advantages would bring it on level with Pakistan’s fighter fleets if casualties and denial from air artillery are taken into consideration. The Indian fleet of 260 Sukhoi Su-30s, a very competent Russian fighter whose only real competitor on the Pakistani side is the American-made F-16, is where India genuinely has an advantage. While a contemporary F-16 is more than capable of defeating a Su-30, few of Pakistan’s F-16s have been fully upgraded. Worse, Pakistan only has 76 of them on the field. The majority of Pakistan’s air force consists of Chinese or joint Chinese-Pakistani aircraft, and Chinese fighter designs are often regarded as inferior. India’s air force is likewise far larger than Pakistan’s, with 2,123 aircraft compared to 1,372 in Pakistan.
India’s navy is likewise significantly more formidable than Pakistan’s, with 285 ships compared to 100 for Pakistan.
There is one aircraft carrier in India, but none in Pakistan.
With the capacity to project air force out to sea, Pakistan would be foolish to seek a naval clash with India, and Pakistan’s own ships would likely fight a defensive battle close to home, never venturing into the Indian Ocean. With zero destroyers compared to India’s ten and eight submarines compared to India’s 16, Pakistan has little chance of winning a naval battle.
Military Forces-Active and Reserve
In the event of a war, India’s military is more than twice as large as Pakistan’s, with 1.444 million troops compared to 654,000. In comparison to Pakistan’s 550,000 reservists, India’s reserve pool is substantially bigger, with 2.1 million reservists able to be called up rapidly into active service. However, because of India’s bigger size compared to Pakistan’s, Indian reservists will take longer to call up, equip, and deploy to the front lines, hence Pakistani reservists will almost likely beat India’s to the front lines. This will put tremendous strain on India’s active-duty military once the battle begins.
In a nutshell
| Countries | India | Pakistan |
| Global Firepower ranking | 4 | 10 |
| Active personnel | 1,455,550 | 654,000 |
| Defence budget | $73,650,000,000 | $12,275,000,000 |
| Fighter aircraft | 542 | 357 |
| Helicopters | 775 | 331 |
| Combat Tank strength | 4730 | 2680 |
| Submarines | 17 | 9 |
| Naval Destroyers | 10 | 0 |
| Airports | 346 | 151 |
| Ports & Terminals | 13 | 2 |
| Aircraft Carriers | 1 | 0 |
(Source: globalfirepower.com)
Conclusion
In almost every parameter the Indian Army has pakistan beat by a mile. This is particularly due to our investment in the defence sector, particularly with regards to manpower and machinery. One should also consider that, until recently Pakistan had strong ties with America and had been receiving their help. In the face of geo-political adversity, India still boldly invested in our armed forces and this formidable position in the global military is the result. Pakistan on the other hand had been resorting to terrorism, skirmishes and infiltration. This comparison could be seen as an indicator as to whose strategy is working.
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