China is Pakistan’s largest arms supplier, says Mehdi

China now fulfils the bulk of Pakistan’s defence requirements, supplying more than 80 per cent of its military hardware, according to Muhammad Mehdi, chairman of the Institute of International Relations and Media Research.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Pakistani American National Institute (PANI) in Washington, Mr Mehdi said the United States had not supplied any military hardware to Pakistan for the past two decades.

The event was organised in his honour by PANI chairman Faiz Rehman, a senior journalist and prominent Pakistani-American community leader.

Mr Mehdi said Pakistan’s reliance on Chinese arms had grown steadily in recent years. Independent estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) also show that more than 80pc of Pakistan’s arms imports in the past five years came from China.

On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mr Mehdi said the multibillion-dollar project had slowed down during the tenure of former prime minister Imran Khan due to “political reasons”. He stressed that the project had not been terminated but was proceeding at a slower pace.

“Security concerns are also a major challenge, even though China has already invested about $26 billion in CPEC projects,” he added.

Mr Mehdi noted that there were still reservations within some quarters in Pakistan about moving too close to China. “Many believe that Pakistan’s culture, traditions and history align more with the West,” he said.

He also told the gathering that American scholars, journalists and policymakers he met in Washington had shown curiosity about the evolving China-Pakistan relationship.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr Rehman underlined the importance of dialogue and exchange of ideas among nations.

Notable attendees at the luncheon included Mowahid Shah, Dr Hassan Abbas, Fauzia Kasuri, Danial Kasuri, former senator Dr Akbar Khawja, Afshan Khawja.