The perpetuating Russia Ukraine war has opened new avenues for Pakistan to milk both sides by clandestinely selling weapons and equipment that are desperately needed for offensive operations.
Pakistan has been variously described by its friends and foes as a national security state, 3 rent seeker nation, an army with a state, a mercenary nation, a jelly state, a failing state and similar unflattering appellations. In the decades long US War on Terror, Pakistan became a target of American ire for its double-dealing ways, earning it the label “an ally from hell”. For the generals who control Pakistan, such criticism hardly matters, as long as they get to keep their elite perks and privileges, and remain the key players behind Pakistan’s complex political establishment, whose survival is underwritten by the military’s institutional interests.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the long-drawn conflict that ensued has presented Pakistan’s ‘miltablishment’ with new challenges and opportunities. It is worth a recall that General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan’s all-powerful Army Chief, who strongly condemned Russia’s actions against Ukraine in April this year, had earlier visited Ukraine in May 2021 on an official tour aimed at strengthening military industrial cooperation. His packed schedule included visit to a military test site in Kharkiv region of Ukraine, where he witnessed field tests of various weapons and equipment. Pakistan has many equipment of Ukrainian origin in the inventory of its armed forces, notably main battle tanks and heavy lift transport aircraft.
Now, in a reversal of roles of sorts, Pakistan has stepped up as a key supplier of arms and ammunition to Ukraine, to help keep up its war effort. There is credible evidence that after years of double speak and double crossing the world on terrorism, Pakistan is upping its game by profiteering from the ongoing war in Europe. The generals in Rawalpindi clearly love the new war, as long as the greenbacks flow in.
News media across the world have been picking up the tell-tell signs of Pakistan’s major effort in replenishment of critical arms and ammunition stocks of Ukraine. On social media, details about daily movements of UK Royal Air force’s C-17 heavy lift aircraft between Pakistan and Romania, and Cyprus, were traced to Pakistan’s supply of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, in large quantities. Later, videos and pictures emerged on Twitter of artillery shells of 122 millimeters caliber in Ukraine, bearing identification marking with striking similarity to ones used by Pakistan’s Ordinance Factory at Wah cantonment.
This could be just the beginning of a longer commitment by Pakistan to the war effort. Many more such supplies from Wah are reportedly in the pipeline, including hundreds of crates of heavy caliber 155 millimeters artillery shells, mortars of light, medium and heavy calibers, explosives like pyroxylin, hexogen and possibly, tank ammunition. Pakistan maintains robust military level ties with East European countries like Romania2 and Poland, which would likely serve as a gateway for supply of ammunition consignments.
As French Intelligence historian Roger Faligot recollects in his remarkable book “Chinese Spies, From Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping”, the Pakistanis may have learnt a thing or two about the business of conflict entrepreneurship from their Chinese partners, who were the main suppliers of weapons to the Afghan Mujahedeen, till 1984.
China had then posted Mao Zedong’s grandson Major Kong Jining as the deputy military attaché at Beijing’s diplomatic mission in Islamabad, who played a role in facilitating this trade in coordination with ISI’s Afghanistan Office.
The Pakistani military has long employed the services of middlemen and front companies to do the footwork needed in foreign capitals to push defence deals and arrange for commissions to the movers and shakers on either side.
At times, such shady business comes to light like the 2020 case in the United States, when a Chicago based Pakistani businessman was arrested for running an illegal operation to export high-tech computers to a nuclear research agency in Pakistan3. The current trends, however, indicate that employing the services of various proxies, Pakistan has made impressive headway in pushing arms and ammunition in the war theatre in Europe. Timely support from Islamabad’s Western partners like UK may also have played a key role in securing the deals.
Ironically, Pakistan’s ties with Russia have also warmed up in recent years, helped in no small measure by its “all weather” friend, China. Military cooperation too, is stronger than ever before. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, which manufactures the JF-17 fighter aircraft in collaboration with Chinese companies, remains firm on its preference for the RD-93 engine supplied by Russia”. Pakistan has been exploring other arms deals with
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister and Pakistan Navy Chief have visited Romania on official tours in recent years. Two Offshore Patrol Vessels were constructed for Pakistan in Damen Shipyard, Romania in the past 4 years. Two more are under construction. Italian shipyards are known to construct mini-submarines (Midgets and Submersibles) at facilities in Romania. Pakistan has had a long association with Midget submarines constructed by Italian companies.
‘Obaidullah Syed, owner of Chicago based Business Systems international Pvt Ltd,.
- https://thediplomat.com/2015/1 l/pakistan-to-stick-with-russian-engine-for-if-17-fighter-jet/
Russia, notably Parttsir surface to air missiles, and T 90 tanks. Russia made Mi-35 helicopter gunships are already in service with Pakistan Air force. The two navies have been regularly participating in joint exercises and events. Russian warships showed up at Pakistan Navy’s Exercise ASV1AN in early 2021, and months later, a Pakistani frigate sailed all the way to St Petersburg to participate in Russian Navy’s 325th Navy Day parade, and held joint drills with Russian warships in the Baltic Sea.
The recent floods of “biblical proportions” in Pakistan may have dislocated and distressed millions of Pakistanis, but clearly it has failed to dampen the spirits of its enterprising military brass, which let’s go no opportunity to monetise a crisis. Having secured a deal worth 450 million US dollars with the Pentagon for upgrading its fleet of F-16 fighter aircraft, Bajwa’s cohort is now busy convincing friends in various foreign capitals to donate generously to disaster relief efforts in the country. Ostensibly, the US origin F-16 jets have been given for counter-terrorism purposes. It seems as if time has stood still for Islamabad on its turbulent western front, even after enthroning its favourites in the regime in Kabul in 2021, following the messy withdrawal of US led coalition forces.
Continued procurement of costly arms, and its recent forays in war profiteering in Europe underscore the popular perception of Pakistan being essentially an opportunist, rentier nation. In reality, such labels seldom matter to the military oligarchy, which continues to find innovative strategies to protect its primacy in the state, and maintain lavish lifestyles. Through its dogged commitment to militarism, and military enterprise, Pakistan has finetuned the art of “running with the hares, and hunting with the hounds”. Its simultaneous dalliance with Ukraine and Russia in transactions of war materials, is but a new ploy in perpetuating this insidious strategy of self-preservation.