Why Is Pakistan’s Army Considered an Overmatch for India? DEFENSE NEWS TODAY

In South Asia’s unstable strategic environment, the perception of military dominance has long been in India’s hands because of its size, defense expenditure, and manpower.

But closer assessment of facts indicates that the Pakistan Army performs better than the Indian Army in several important areas of operational performance: readiness, strategic guidance, asymmetric warfare capacity, and psychological operations.

Despite its numerical disadvantage, Pakistan’s army leverages its qualitative advantage and strategic depth to become a formidable force.

Professionalism and Experienced Fighters

One of the major reasons the Pakistan Army is superior to the Indian military forces is that it is professional and ready to fight. The Pakistan Army has an efficient chain of command, unlike India’s massive army complex, which is sometimes slow to move due to bureaucratic and administrative bottlenecks. It is renowned for having higher standards of discipline and unity.

Second, the Pakistan Army has rich battlefield experience. It has been carrying out sustained counterinsurgency and anti-terrorist operations, mostly against the tribal belts and outfits like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The real battlefield experience of the Pakistan Army has enhanced its urban warfare, small-unit warfare, and counter-guerrilla warfare. India, in contrast, undertakes fewer large-scale, long-duration operations outside of Jammu and Kashmir.

Preeminent Strategic Doctrine

Pakistan’s “full spectrum deterrence” military strategy encompasses conventional as well as nuclear retaliation in a shifting environment. Pakistan’s doctrine has successfully negated India’s “Cold Start Doctrine,” a shallow penetration, limited-war theory of rapid mobilization along the Pakistan border.

By creating tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs), like the Nasr (Hatf-IX) missile with a range of 60–70 km, Pakistan has balanced India’s conventional military deployment capability.

The Nasr missile system is revolutionary. Its rapid deployment capability and low-yield nuclear weapons are a potent deterrent against conventional Indian attacks. India, however, lacks a comparable battlefield nuclear system available for deployment and follows a strict “No First Use” (NFU) policy, which constrains its flexibility in escalation situations.

Technological and Operational Agility

In contradiction to the general impression, Pakistan’s defense sector is increasingly independent, with indigenously built systems like the Al-Khalid tank and the JF-17 Thunder multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed with China, constituting the heart of its armored and air force capabilities.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) boasts more than 140 JF-17s by 2024, out of which Block III variants incorporate AESA radar, beyond-visual-range missiles, and electronic warfare pods. The Indian Air Force (IAF), in contrast, grapples with aging MiG-21s and logistics integration for Rafale and Su-30MKI fighters.

India’s military modernization has been sluggish and often derailed by delays in procurement. Pakistan, on the other hand, has succeeded in acquiring cutting-edge systems like the HQ-9/P long-range air defense system, YLC-8E radar, and CM-400AKG anti-ship missiles and has developed a layered and mobile defense network.

Psychological and Informational Warfare

The Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has been leading the way in framing narratives on the domestic and international fronts. ISPR claims to have excelled in perception management, utilizing psychological warfare and media strategies effectively.

In the Balakot episode of 2019, Pakistan achieved a definite psychological victory with its rapid response, downing an Indian MiG-21 and capturing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, while India’s claim of hitting a “terror camp” remained unverified. India’s absence of an integrated military public relations body such as ISPR places it at a serious disadvantage during war or crisis.

Geography greatly influences military operations

The Pakistan Army strategically positions itself along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border to facilitate swift troop deployment. Troops stationed in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, and Punjab can quickly mobilize, as they are close to potential flashpoints.

The Siachen Glacier and the high-altitude posts are another point of concern. Indian occupation of the glacier is hugely logistically and financially expensive, with annual estimates exceeding ₹1,000 crore (approximately USD 120 million) just to maintain the posts operational. Pakistan, however, maintains minimal assets with strategic leverage in surrounding lower-altitude regions.

Economic and Asymmetric Efficiency

Even with a comparatively lower defense expenditure budget to spend—approximately $10.3 billion in 2023, as opposed to India’s $81 billion—Pakistan attains strategic equivalence through effective procurement, strategic partnerships, and focused expenditure. Chinese assistance in the shape of CPEC and arms sales enables Pakistan to invest more in operational readiness instead of maintaining legacy platforms.

In addition, Pakistan spends on asymmetric warfare technologies such as Special Service Group (SSG) commandos, cyber warfare units, and drone surveillance systems such as the Shahpar II. The Indian Armed Forces are now incorporating such elements, often placing a disproportionate emphasis on large-scale hardware.

Nuclear Deterrence as the Principal Equaliser

Both nations possess nuclear capabilities, though Pakistan’s strategy is comparatively more flexible. Pakistan reportedly possesses over 160 nuclear warheads, enabling it to launch missiles and aircraft for a second-strike capability.

Unlike India’s new triad, Pakistan’s streamlined nuclear command system enables quick decision-making in escalation operations. In addition, the addition of multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) on Pakistan’s Ababeel missile and the introduction of naval deterrents show that Pakistan is quickly narrowing the strategic gap.

Final Exam

Even though India has a numerical advantage in terms of numbers (1.45 million active troops compared to Pakistan’s 654,000) and arms, the Pakistan Army has a strategic advantage over the Indian Army in deployment, doctrinal adaptability, experience in combat, and asymmetric warfare.

With innovation, morale, and tactical acumen, the Pakistan Army has demonstrated that numbers do not determine strength. The Indian troops, plagued by massive-scale bureaucracy and diffused strategic direction, still bemoan their failure to convert their quantitative advantage into qualitative excellence.