Has China Supplied Substandard Weapons to Pakistan?

Retired Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni has raised concerns regarding the quality of Chinese-manufactured weapons used by Pakistan in attacks against India. Referring to recent skirmishes along the border, he pointed out repeated failures of Chinese drones and missiles deployed by Pakistan, suggesting a potential link between these malfunctions and inferior weapon quality.

Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni remarked that several Chinese-made drones and other weapons seized within Indian territory failed to achieve their intended objectives. He particularly noted that some weapon systems currently being used by the Pakistani military along the border are underperforming. These failures, he said, could stem not only from technical faults but also from fundamental quality deficiencies in the weapons’ manufacturing process.

The retired officer also suggested that the Chinese government may be deliberately supplying lower-grade or substandard weapons to certain allied nations, such as Pakistan. He emphasized that this possibility should not be dismissed, especially in light of recurring allegations that China, in its pursuit to solidify its position as a global arms exporter, has previously supplied inferior arms to friendly countries.

Defense analysts pointed out that such allegations have surfaced in the past, and the recent comments by Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni lend further weight to these concerns. Given that Pakistan is acquiring weapons from China on a large scale, the potential failure of these systems could have serious implications for Pakistan’s military capabilities.

Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni observed that the analysis of debris from seized drones and missiles along the border supports these concerns. He further indicated that these developments could affect security dynamics along the India-Pakistan border and stressed the need for deeper scrutiny into the reliability of Chinese weaponry.