Pakistan's 'Combat-Tested' Exports: The Profiteering of Perpetual Conflict
📰 THE STORY: Al-Monitor reports that Pakistan's defense industry is flourishing, with its jointly produced JF-17 jets, drones, and missile systems drawing interest from 13 countries after being 'combat-tested' in a recent conflict with India. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The 'conflict with India' cited as the proving ground for these weapons refers to the 2019 Balakot
airstrikes and subsequent aerial skirmishes, which saw both Indian and Pakistani fighter jets downed. This brief, intense conflict was a direct escalation in a decades-long rivalry rooted in the 1947 partition of British India, which created artificial borders and left the unresolved dispute over Kashmir, one of the world's most militarized zones, in its wake. The 'combat-tested' label is built on
the instability created and perpetuated by such historical grievances. Double Standard: When Western nations, particularly the US, sell 'combat-tested' weapons to their allies, it's often framed as 'security assistance' or 'maintaining regional stability.' For example, the US continues to funnel over $3.8 billion annually in military aid to Israel, despite its illegal occupation and ongoing
genocidal assault on Gaza, with no public outcry about fostering instability or 'profiting from conflict.' Pakistan's ventures, however, are presented as a novelty rather than part of a global arms trade system that enriches a select few while devastating nations. Follow the Money: The 'combat-tested' label is a marketing goldmine for arms manufacturers. The global arms trade was valued at over