On 'surprising growth' of Pakistan Navy, Indian Navy chief says Islamabad is choosing weapons over welfare of people

 India is aware of the "surprising growth" of the Pakistan Navy which plans to become a 50-ship navy, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi said.

Speaking at a media briefing ahead of Navy Day on December 4, Admiral Tripathi claimed that Pakistan is choosing weapons over the welfare of its people.

He noted that many Pakistan Navy warships and submarines are being built with Chinese support, and said this shows that China is interested in making Pakistan's Navy stronger. “Their eight new submarines will have significant combat potential for Pakistan Navy but we are fully aware of their capabilities. That is why we are tweaking our concepts to be able to tackle all threats from our neighbours."

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China has reportedly been backing the modernisation efforts of the Pakistan Army in a bid to enhance the capabilities of a major ally that will come to the aid of Beijing in case of a crisis in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) even as China has increased its presence in the IOR. Beijing has emerged as Pakistan's primary defense partner and Islamabad has been procuring technologically advanced naval vessels from China.

Pointing out that China is calling itself "the Middle Kingdom", the Indian Navy chief said, "There is a book, 'The Hundred-Year Marathon', and how the Chinese are planning to become what they want to become. There is a vision that they want to become a world power. We see that happening. Our reading is that it will manifest more in the Pacific Ocean and we are keeping watch to ensure that our interests are not affected in our Indian Ocean region."

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Admiral Tripathi said India has kept a close watch on the activities of extra-regional forces operating in the Indian Ocean region including the PLA Navy units.