NEW DELHI: India continues to languish in the strategically-vulnerable position of being the world’s second-largest arms importer, just behind Saudi Arabia. The only silver lining is that India has clawed its way to the 23rd position among the top 25 weapon exporters, with Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Mauritius being its biggest clients, though it constitutes a negligible 0.2% share of the total global figure.
The latest data on international arms transfers released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday shows India accounted for 9.2% of the total global arms imports during 2015-2019, while Saudi Arabia registered 12%. China stood at the fifth position (4.3%), while Pakistan was at 11th (2.6%).
“Between 2010-14 and 2015-19, arms imports by India and Pakistan decreased by 32% and 39
