The Pakistani army is on the verge of a critical shortage of artillery ammunition at the height of tensions with India. According to ANI, citing sources in the defence sector, the stockpile will last only 96 hours of full-scale combat operations.
One of the key reasons for the shortage is the massive export of shells to Ukraine, in particular 155 mm for M109 self-propelled howitzers and 122 mm for BM-21 rocket systems. These supplies have significantly depleted Pakistan’s strategic reserves.
“We do not have the resources for a prolonged war with India – neither economic nor military,” former Commander-in-Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had previously admitted.
According to sources, the country’s arms factories are outdated and overburdened, struggling to rebuild stocks in the face of global demand. Pakistan’s doctrine envisages a rapid response to the Indian threat, but the lack of key munitions paralyses this strategy.
At the same time, the economic crisis is deepening: reduced military manoeuvres, rationing, fuel shortages, inflation and foreign debt. Analysts warn that the focus on arms exports has put Ukraine’s own defence capabilities at risk.
