‘India wants the international community to pay attention to China supplying sophisticated weapons and ammunition to Pakistan’

New Delhi: With China supplying a fresh stock of arms and ammunition to Pakistan, India is set to highlight this development at various international forums including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and European Union. Sources told The Sunday Guardian that while preparation is afoot to raise this issue globally in a big way, Delhi has already sounded alert to some member countries of EU, Quad and AUKUS on Beijing’s plan to boost firepower of Islamabad “that would be detrimental to efforts aimed at creating a peaceful environment in the region, and that would trigger tension between the neighbouring countries”. “India wants the international community to pay closer attention to China supplying sophisticated weapons and ammunition to Pakistan despite the fact that the FATF has not found it as a responsible nation in terms of dealing with terrorism,” sources say. India has already highlighted its concerns on Pakistan’s arms going to terrorist organisations operating from there, say diplomats. “Given the poor human rights record and its support for terrorism, Pakistan should not be given arms in this way. The global community should advocate a ban on arms supply to Pakistan.”

India is closely analysing the details of the report of Islamabad having received the first batch of Chinese-manufactured vehicle-mounted howitzers, launchers and other weapons systems from Beijing. “The global community has been apprised of China supplying such weapons to Pakistan, ignoring the fact that Islamabad uses arms and ammunition to create problems in the region,” say sources. “But it remains to be raised in a big way, for which diplomatic channels will be activated. India will also take it up with the United Nations,” sources added.

Observers believe that China wants Pakistan to remain locked in confrontation with India so that trouble keeps mounting on India’s western borders. Hence, Beijing is working on a strategy to give more firepower to Pakistan, sources say.

“The communication regarding this has already been sent to the US, Japan, Australia and the UK. Other countries of the global community such as France, Russia and Germany will also be apprised of what is going on here,” sources added. MEA sources told this newspaper that Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla has taken updates on the development through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. “He has also spoken to other senior diplomats for further strategy,” say sources.

Shringla, on many occasions, has raised concerns over the export of nuclear material to Islamabad by Beijing, saying that they are in violation of international norms and established procedures. Indian diplomats referred to the report of US think-tank Arms Control Association, in which it was said that China’s nuclear cooperation with Pakistan was in contravention of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

With the threat of terrorism continuing to grow from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, and Pakistan-backed terror outfits enjoying safe haven there, China’s behaviour cannot be seen as a responsible move in any way, say officials. India recently highlighted the concern at a UNSC meet that UN-sanctioned terror groups are getting support from Afghan soil and from other terrorist sanctuaries in the region, in an apparent reference to Pakistan.