THE increased strengthening of defence ties between India and the United States is a cause of major concern in the South Asian region as this marks a significant shift in geopolitical alignment and strategic partnerships. Interestingly, the enhancement of defence relations has seen India buying an array of sophisticated weapons from the US, including transport planes, combat helicopters, artillery pieces as well as jet engines.

As Indo-US nexus stands, the primary purpose for the US is ostensibly to use India as a bulwark against the increasing Chinese global influence.

On the other hand, India is already a member of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD), commonly known as Quad, a group that also includes Australia, Japan and the US, to counter growing Chinese economic and military power.

The recent visit of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Washington has resulted in the US giving the green light for a potential sale of anti-submarine warfare Sonobuoys and related equipment to New Delhi. The two countries have also signed an agreement to support each other’s national defence needs.

Unsurprisingly, this deepening cooperation through Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) has seen Indian defence export balloon from Rs6 billion to Rs230 billion annually. The two countries have also initiated several bilateral as well as multilateral military exercises.

However, it is worth mentioning that Israel is among the countries benefiting from the Indian defence exports, as New Delhi has transported ammunition that the Zionist state is using relentlessly in Gaza.

The US government has held back the delivery of the state-of-the-art drones until New Delhi carries out an immediate and rather meaningful investigation into the conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was a New York-based Khalistan activist. This followed the gruesome murder in Canada of prominent Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The intensifying Indo-US defence ties are, nevertheless, a serious development for Pakistan on the security front.

As such, the happenings in the restive Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces clearly underscore the need for national unity and harmony more than ever before. Time to act is now.

Fawad Hashmey
Lahore

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2024