Oh realy
if my memory is not that bad India plans to buy about US$30 billion worth of military equipment between 2007-2012 and this means INDIA is the developing world's largest arms purchaser.
Discussions are also ongoing between India and US manufacturer Lockheed Martin to buy eight P3-C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft at a cost of
$650 million, coupled with 16 multi-mission MH-60R Sikorsky helicopters costing about
$400 million. Raytheon is negotiating the sale of its Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile systems to India, too.
While in September India floated its biggest-ever military tender, for the purchase of 126 multi-role combat aircraft worth
$10 billion. Lockheed-Martin and Boeing are lobbying hard to sell their F-16 and F/A-18 fighter planes to India.
:WOOT: my mind my dear Bushroda if all above is not false than we can understand who is the worlds biggest arms purchaser
INDIA
there are other deals too if you want me to post these too
Plans are plans and can't be held substantial unless they mature. Whereas Pakistan actually bought $5.1 billion worth of arms in just one year. A very huge amount considering that Pak economy is just 1/8th of India's. And even if let's say all these deals go through still India would be spending on an average $6 billion a year. Far less than Pakistan in terms of per capita expenditure. It doesn't make any sense when your own government is busy buying J10s & FC1s & you are here lecturing India for buying arms at the expense of poor & hungry people.
BTW, read that report. It isn't from an Indian source. And as it speaks Pakistan is the top arms buyer currently. What happens by 2012? we can wait & see.
We still do not have farmers committing suicide in large number unlike India where the poverty level is much much higher rather touches the one of the highest in the world.
Who would know that when Pak government has a habit of cracking down on media for anything which is considered degrading? Afterall, didn't Musharaff ban the NGOs saying that they try to malign Pakistan? Didn't he stop Mukhataran Mai from visiting US saying that rape is a tool for them to get quick canadian emmigration.
I came across an interesting article in NGC & I am posting the exert here.
Pakistan - Reza's Field Notes - National Geographic Magazine
Pakistan has a very big heroin problem—the number of drug addicts is very high—and I wanted to photograph this story. Of course, the government does not want this story told, so, in Karachi, I took all the necessary precautions to make sure that the police would not follow me while I was working on this story.
Clearly tells you how things are controlled. How do we know that Musharaff wouldn't try to hide something that would be an embaressment for him & Pakistan(hoping that he actually has Pakistan's interests in mind).
BTW, here are some exerts from worldbank
Pakistan Data Profile (
http://devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?PTYPE=CP&CCODE=PAK)
Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) 79.0 ..
Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000) 99.0 ..
Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total) .. 31.0
School enrollment, primary (% gross) 87.3 ..
School enrollment, secondary (% gross) 26.9 ..
School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) 4.6 ..
Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education (%) 75.4 ..
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) .. 49.9
India Data Profile (
http://devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?PTYPE=CP&CCODE=IND)
Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) 56.0 ..
Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000) 74.0 ..
Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total) 42.5 .. ..
School enrollment, primary (% gross) 119.2 ..
School enrollment, secondary (% gross) 56.6 ..
School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) 11.4 ..
Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education (%) 88.7
As for Poverty, take a look here
Global Hunger Index 2007
Pakistan = 22.70 diff= +3.03
India = 25.03 dif = +8.7
Islamabad News
So clearly Pakistan has just as many problems as India has got. Having 2% less hungry people than India doesn't make Pakistan a paradise. By posting all these stats I am not trying to dig up dirt on Pakistan but just to remind you that look into your own sleeves before indulging into mudslinging.
you mean Pakistan bullied India
Sorry lady, but by bulling I implied bullying by west or China over the control of oil which is necessary for the growth momentum of economy. Given India's population it would need massive amount of energy resources & somewhere its interests are definately going to clash with the developed economies & China. This is why India needs strong military & therefore these arms procurements are happening.
Its india that is bullying small nation in Sub-continent just check India has a conflict almost all the important countries of Sub-continent right from Pakistan to Bangladesh.
So i do not see indian millitary build up as saving her self from being bullied by Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Rather you must accept that all Indian build up is CHINA-Centric and thus materialising Indian dream of becoming Regional Power by surpassing China while playing lap of US.
Is it India's fault that all its neighbors barring China are countries suffering from internal conflicts, poor administration. Pakistan itself hasn't got very sound relations with any of its own neighbors... India in east, Iran & Afghanistan in west.
You are right atleast in saying that India's buildup is definately China specific. Afterall, they are the most powerful of our neighbors & if we can protect ourselves from them we can do so from anybody in the region.
As for Indian buildup I gave you the reasons.
1) To stop Pakistan or any other country from trying a misadventure like Kargil.
2) To protect our economic interests.
You are free to believe anything otherwise.