Pakistan 11th largest arms importer in the world: report.

KARACHI -- Pakistan is the eleventh largest arms importer in the world, a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said on Monday.

According to new data released by the Sweden-based institute - which is dedicated to research on conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament - India was the second-largest arms importer in the world over the past five years.

'As in previous years, in 2019 India and Pakistan - which are nuclear-armed states - attacked each other using an array of imported major arms,' said Siemon T. Wezeman, a senior researcher at Sipri.

'Many of the world's largest arms exporters have supplied these two states for decades, often exporting arms to both sides,' he said.

According to Sipri, between 2010-14 and 2015-19, arms imports by India and Pakistan decreased by 32 per cent and 39pc, respectively.

China accounted for 73pc of the total arms imported by Pakistan in 2015-19

It noted that while both countries had a long-standing aim to produce their own major arms, they remained largely dependent on imports and had substantial outstanding orders and plans for imports of all types of major arms.

Sipri said skirmishes between India and Pakistan intensified in early 2019. Pakistan reportedly used combat aircraft imported from China, equipped with Russian engines, and combat aircraft from the United States supported by airborne early...