China having strike a deal with Pakistan on military facilities, former deputy National Security Advisor Satish Chandra said that the deepening collaboration between the two countries was a matter of serious anxiety for India.
Chandra, who was also a previous high official to Pakistan, said while the teamwork between the two was not a new element, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) had made it an important element.
"The partnership between Pakistan and China in the armed space is not a new element and has existed since the 1960s. The only new element is the CPEC. And that is an eventual quantum change since the investment is heavy. These two countries are hand in glove and one must understand that Pakistan is a Chinese hock and will always remain so," Chandra said.
He further said that both countries, which were joined at the trendy, meant trouble for India and that it was time for India to develop countervailing capabilities.
"We have mistreated our defense capabilities since independence. Our defense spending right now is at a historic low of about 1.5% of GDP. Way back at the time of Kargil it was felt that it should be about 3% of GDP," he said.
Apart from having the defense capability, he further said that India needed to have the political will to react resolutely to an unfavorable Pakistan and hegemonic China. "Appropriate opportunity to exert pressure on both these countries will arise from time to time and India must grab them," the former diplomat said.
China's military project in Pakistan under President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.
A special financial zone would be built under the CPEC to create fighter jets and steering systems across factories in Pakistan. China has, however, rejected the reports.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the "mega project" only included industrial parks and means and facilities to improve lives of the people in Pakistan.
