With around 650,000 to 660,000 active personnel, Pakistan boasts the biggest standing army in the Muslim world. But, the country lost scores of soldiers in the recent border clashes with the Taliban before the 48-hour ceasefire came into force. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province alone, numerous Pakistani security personnel were killed in recent times due to ambushes and suicide attacks launched by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, whom Islamabad claims are using Kabul as their base.
Can Afghanistan take nuclear-armed Pakistan’s military might head on? After setbacks suffered at the hands of India during ‘Operation Sindoor’, the military heads in Islamabad cannot imagine another humiliation along the borders. London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies has reportedly studied the military might of the two neighbours who do not have the best relations. Here are their findings:
- There is no scope for comparison when it comes to organised military recruitment, training, and organisation. Pakistan will emerge as a clear winner in terms of defence spending and arms purchases.
- The Afghan Taliban’s main drawback is their incapacity and lack of know-how to make use of most of the modern equipment and weapons they inherited while regaining power in 2021.
- While Pakistan is heavily supplied by China and Turkey with military purchases, a lack of international recognition for the Taliban administration has also hurt military modernisation. There is no shortage of the latest drones, fighter jets, rockets, and missiles in Islamabad’s arsenal thanks to its international allies. Despite the country’s financial strains, Islamabad is still investing in its military nuclear programmes and will keep modernising its naval and air forces. It is said that PAF has 465 combat aircraft and more than 260 helicopters.
Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Comparing the numbers and armoury
According to the study, the Pakistan Armed Forces consist of 560,000 army personnel, 70,000 airmen, and a 30,000-strong naval contingent. Afghan Taliban's military strength cannot be any more than 172,000 active personnel. The group has, however, announced plans to expand its armed forces to 200,000 personnel.
In the vehicles department, Pakistan has more than 6,000 armoured fighting vehicles and over 4,600 pieces of artillery. The Taliban still depend on Soviet-era tanks but have numerous modern US military-grade Humvees, armoured personnel carriers, and autonomous underwater vehicles. However, nobody knows how many of these vehicles are at their disposal and if all are operational. The precise number of artillery pieces they possess, which is of at least three different types, is also known, said Reuters in a report. Meanwhile, it is not known if the Taliban have any pilots in their ranks to get Kabul’s fighter planes and choppers airborne, if needed.