Aparna Pande, and Vinay Kaura
Pakistan’s recent defense trade diplomacy is less about sales of fighter jets and more about consolidating the power of the Pakistani military establishment. Remarks from senior Pakistani leaders that defense sales will ensure Pakistan is no longer dependent on Bretton Woods institutions for economic stability may appear flippant to many. However, such views reflect a continuation of the past: internal military consolidation and external support to counter India.
Through defense sales, Pakistan’s military-intelligence nexus hopes to create a network of partners with vested interests in Pakistan’s survival. The network effect might appear negligible and may never happen. But Pakistan has long hoped for a grouping of Muslim-majority countries that would depend upon Pakistan for their security. During the 1950s and 1960s, Pakistan’s first military dictator, Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, harbored similarly grandiose ambitions. It appears that Pakistan’s second field marshal, current army chief, Asim Munir, is seeking to fulfil them.
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