India, Pakistan troop strength and weapons: How the two militaries stack up
Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated sharply after a suicide bombing in Kashmir killed 40 CRPF jawans, an attack claimed by Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad . Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed a strong response to the attack and said he had given the military a free hand. Pakistan would retaliate if attacked, his counterpart, Imran Khan, has warned. The neighbours have twice gone to war over Kashmir since independence in 1947. Here is how their militaries stack up. MILITARY BUDGET In 2018, India allocated four trillion rupees ($58 billion), or 2.1 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), to support its 1.4 million active troops, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Last year, Pakistan spent 1.26 trillion Pakistani rupees ($11 billion), about 3.6 per cent of its GDP, on its 653,800 troops. It also received $100 million in foreign military assistance in 2018. Between 1993 and 2006, more than 20 per