India is only external threat: Pak military

Pakistan military has told a parliamentary committee that India is the only external threat to the country and the situation with regard to ties was volatile in the wake of the suspended Indo-Pak dialogue.

The Senate defence committee led by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed yesterday visited military's Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where it was briefed by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood and his team.

The military officials shared the perceived threat with members of the Senate that India had over the last couple of years purchased weapons worth USD 100 billion, 80 per cent of which were Pakistan-specific, the Dawn reported.

The Indian army's 'shopping spree', it was said, was continuing and over the next five years it would be buying weapons worth another USD 100 billion.

India, which is the world's second largest arms importer, has more than doubled its military spending over the last decade. Delhi's defence budget for this year was USD 40.07 billion, the paper said.

This requires a continuous evaluation of the situation and upgradation of the response mechanism, the members were told.

The committee was also informed that the situation was volatile in view of the suspended dialogue between India and Pakistan and the absence of any conflict resolution mechanism.

They were also informed on how the Joint Staff Headquarters worked as a higher defence organisation and Strategic Plans Division, which is the custodian of the nuclear programme.

Talking about the non-traditional security challenges, the military officials said threats in cyberspace were posing a major challenge and urged the government to establish an Inter-Services Cyber Command to combat cyber-attacks and cyber-warfare.