A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN AND INDIA’S DEFENCE CAPABILITIES: STRATEGIC POSTURES, FORCE STRUCTURES, AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

This paper offers a multidimensional comparative analysis of the defence capabilities of Pakistan and India within the strategic environment of South Asia. Using balance of power theory, deterrence theory, and the security dilemma, the study examines economic capacity, conventional force structures, nuclear doctrines, and emerging military technologies. Drawing on a qualitative comparative design and secondary data from SIPRI, the World Bank, IISS, FAS, and official publications, it finds that India retains enduring structural advantages in economic resources, defence spending, and conventional modernization. Pakistan, however, offsets this asymmetry through nuclear parity, full-spectrum deterrence, and adaptive doctrinal choices. The study argues that regional stability rests on an asymmetry-based deterrence balance in which nuclear weapons reduce the likelihood of full-scale war but do not remove crisis instability, limited conflict risks, or escalation pressures generated by technological modernization.