Pakistan To Procure 600 Tanks To Bolster Its Capability Along The Border With India

Pakistan is planning the procurement of around 600 battle tanks including T-90 tanks from Russia in a move to bolster its combat prowess along the border with India, reports Deccan Chronicle.

Procurement of the new tanks will enable the Pakistani army to hit targets at a range of 3 to 4 km. They are also expected to deploy tanks along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the report quoted military and intelligence sources as saying.

Pakistan’s plan to procure a batch of Russia’s T-90 battle tanks - the mainstays of armoured regiments of the Indian Army - is seen as a concerted effort by Pakistan to forge a deeper defence engagement with Moscow. Besides the defence purchase, Pakistan has been conducting joint military exercises with Russia in the last couple of years, raising concerns in New Delhi.

According to the report, Pakistan has decided to procure at least 360 battle tanks besides producing 220 tanks indigenously with help from China.

Pakistan army's move to expand its armoured corps comes at a time when the Line of Actual Control in Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing growing hostilities over the past year.

As per the report, though the Indian Army is retaliating strongly, modernisation of Indian Army's armoured regiments at a "snail's pace" due to procedural delays is raising concerns. The procurement projects including the Rs 60,000 crore Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) programme are stuck due to a variety of reasons.