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- The defense pact was signed on Friday months after Pakistan and India engaged in a four-day military conflict
- Analyst says it is likely to benefit both Washington and Delhi in terms of support to counter Chinese growth
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday it is assessing a new, 10-year defense pact between India and the United States (US), amid concerns over its potential impact on strategic balance and security dynamics of South Asia.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the defense framework to expand cooperation on Friday, marking a “new era” in bilateral ties amid tensions over Washington’s tariff war. The framework is expected to provide policy direction for their ties.
The agreement comes as the two countries work to close a trade deal after US President Donald Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on India, including a 25 percent penalty for importing Russian oil. Hegseth said the framework is a “cornerstone for regional stability and deterrence” and will increase India-US intelligence and tech collaboration.
It comes months after Pakistan and India engaged in a four-day military conflict over a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which saw the two neighbors attack each other with fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery, leaving dozens dead on both sides before the US announced a ceasefire on May 10.
“India US defense pact is a very recent development,” Tahir Andrabi, a Pakistani foreign office spokesman, said on Friday. “We are evaluating the agreement, particularly with reference to its impact on peace, security and stability in South Asia.”
Pakistan and India have been at loggerheads since their independence from British rule in 1947, with the disputed region of Kashmir being the core issue between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The two countries have fought multiple wars over the region and the recent conflict was also triggered by an attack in Pahalgam, which killed 26 tourists. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad.
The US-India pact is an extension of a similar agreement inked in 2015, which had covered joint technology development, defense trade and military exchanges. It is likely to benefit both Washington and Delhi in terms of more support to counter
Chinese growth and influence over the Indo-Pacific region, said Bharat Karnad, an emeritus professor for national security studies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi.
“Considering how fast the Chinese Navy is growing, it is the largest navy in the world right now … Everybody needs help. The Americans need our help because we are locationally right there. We are a principal player in the Indo (Pacific) ocean basin,” he told Arab News.
“While we require the help in terms of, you know, their satellite intelligence … They have enormous satellite constellations that can pick up Chinese naval movements and so on, much farther than our own satellite constellation can pick up those kinds of things. So, you know, it is very helpful.”
A rising military superpower, China hasn’t fought a major war in more than four decades but has raced under President Xi Jinping to modernize its armed forces, pouring resources into developing sophisticated weaponry and cutting-edge technologies. It has also extended that modernization drive to Pakistan, long hailed by Beijing as its “ironclad brother.”
Over the past five years, China has supplied 81 percent of Pakistan’s imported weapons, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Those exports include advanced fighter jets, missiles, radars and air-defense systems. Some Pakistan-made weapons have also been co-developed with Chinese firms or built with Chinese technology and expertise.