Whose leg goes higher? Indo-Pak Arms Race & Covid-19

Conflicts are generally clashes of opinions or interests. In this contemporary world, Pakistan and India are two states with a legacy of disagreements and clashes. The main issue between these two traditional enemies is the territorial dispute of Kashmir. Due to the Kashmir issue, there exists a hostile environment between these two states.

Since their creation, they have fought four wars with each other. Both of these states have been involved in proxy wars as well. As a result, both countries are fond of having a military might. Moreover, the security dilemma between these two neighbors has put them in some sort of arms race. The year 2020 brought a huge global change when the world was hit by a pandemic “The Covid-19 Crisis”. This virus started in China and in months it was spread in almost every corner of the world. This virus caused the death of over 3.18 million people around the world. This virus was so sworn that great world powers like the USA, Russia Britain, and France failed to withstand its waves. These countries are believed to be the ones providing their citizens a standard life and good health care but still this virus was able to shook their foundations.

The case of India and Pakistan is exceptional in one way and at the same time similar in another. India is home to almost 1.2 billion people. Regarded as the world’s biggest democracy the Republic of India has the most growing economy despite the pandemic. On the other hand, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the 5^th most populated country in the world with a population above 225 million. Being the only Nuclear-armed state in the Islamic world Pakistan is considered a major influencer in the world of Muslim countries. Since their creation, these two countries have been always involved in the confrontation. They are always in a constant arms race. They had made weapons as their utmost urgency. But the covid crisis has exposed a lot of loopholes that are now compelling people to think on the other side of the spectrum.

India was the second biggest arms importer in the world in 2020 according to SIPRI. India shared more than 9% of global arms imports. India has the second-largest military in the world in the context of men’s power. India exists on the list of the top few countries that are primarily focusing on their military might. Indian budget allocated for the defense is roughly around 72 US billion dollars. When it comes to nuclear strength, analysts believe that India has a stockpile of around 150 warheads. Adding fuel to fire the politics in India also uses the nationalistic card to win power. They generate a narrative among people that the eastern neighbor of India is its permanent foe and nothing can change this fact.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is not so far behind, it has the 6^th largest military in the world in terms of men’s power. Pakistan is the only Islamic state with nuclear warheads. As a matter of surprise, Pakistan has a more stockpile of warheads than India. Pakistan has a defense budget of around 12 billion USD. In other words, both of these states are spending a handsome amount of their revenue on their defense. For instance, Pakistan and India are engaged in combat at the world highest battlefield ‘’Siachen’’. Both countries are spending millions of dollars to maintain their military presence in those fields. It takes millions to provide logistical support to the troops. From airlifting rations and armaments to deploying troops, these states are spending millions.

In the same universe, both of these states belong to third-world countries. The life standard of average citizens in these two countries is not appreciable. From food, health to education both of these states are facing immense and different kinds of challenges. Adding fuel to fire, The Pandemic of 2020 has exposed a lot. The first wave of the corona virus was not deadly as the second wave. In 2020 both countries took fine measures to fight this virus but the second wave that struck the world in 2021 has opened a series of questions on the capabilities of these two countries. Starting from India, the covid-conditions in India seem out of control for the government. The virus is on a surge. Hospitals in the country are running out of oxygen and people are dying on footpaths. More than 200 thousand people have lost their life. There are 20 million active cases in India at the moment.

Today India is one of the biggest producers of Covid-vaccine but still the hospitals in India are short of the vaccines. The people on the other hand are exposing the government. They are running trends on social media in which they are asking for the resignation of the current government. Meanwhile, the conditions in Pakistan are better as compared to India but the future is still uncertain. In Pakistan, around 18000 people have lost their life. Pakistan’s GDP is already going in the negatives and the country is under the burden of many loans. Their health departments are also supported by foreign Aids and loans. Right now, the country is short of vaccines and the government is again looking for foreign support to fill their gap. In a crux, People on the both of sides of border are now exhausted. At the moment it is now almost clear for the general public that challenges related to health being a part of non-traditional security should be a matter of greater concern than the conventional military might.

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