New Delhi:
India has emerged as the world’s largest importer of major arms in 2013–17, according to a study conducted by an international peace relations organization.
The latest annual study by a global watchdog on arms sales suggests that India’s arms imports accounted for 12 per cent of the arms transfers in the world. India's imports increased by 24 per cent between 2008–12 and 2013–17, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The study reveals that the arms imports of China and Pakistan, however, reduced in the same period. China’s arms imports fell by 19 per cent between 2008–12 and 2013–17. Despite this decrease, it was the world’s fifth-largest arms importer in 2013–17. Pakistan accounted for 2.8 per cent of global arms imports in 2013–17.
However, the rise in arms import from the US has been significant during the 2013-17 period. Imports from the country increased by as much as 557 per cent, making America the second largest arms supplier to India.
About Pakistan, the report said that the country’s arms imports went down by 36 per cent between 2008–12 and 2013–17. The study said, “Pakistan accounted for 2.8 per cent of global arms imports in 2013–17. Its arms imports from the USA dropped by 76 per cent in 2013–17 compared with 2008–12.”
