India is the seventh largest country in the world and the third largest economy by Purchasing Power Parity. India is now classified as a newly industrialised country and ranks 13th in the G-20 major economies of the world.
Since the dawn of the Modi government, India became the world's fastest growing major economy from the last quarter of 2014 displacing China to the number 2 position. India's economy expanded at 7.5% in 2015 and will grow at 8% in 2016.
India's GDP in Nominal terms as of October 2015 is valued at US $2.38 trillion and $8.4 trillion if calculated according to Purchasing Power Parity. Both India and Pakistan achieved independence together in 1947 but one rose to fame and glory to surge in the 21st century and the other fell in the hands of Islamic extremism and terrorism and remained pre-occupied in destabilising India by all means.
Last year in 2014, India's Gross Domestic Product was valued at $2.1 trillion and Pakistan's GDP was valued at $250 billion.
From the year 2014 till October 2015, India added $280 billion to its overall GDP. In simple words, India added more than 1 Pakistan to its overall economy and on the other hand Pakistan added a shameful $38 billion to its GDP.
The Gross Domestic Product of Mumbai alone which is India's financial capital is valued at $278 billion as of October 2015 which is equivalent to the entire GDP of Pakistan.
India saw its Prime Minister Modi visit almost all major countries of the world within a span of just one year but little did 1.2 billion people know that their Prime Minister was hard selling India as the new land of opportunity which in turn resulted in India receiving a whopping $31 billion dollars in Foreign Direct Investment within the first year of Modi govt. This catapulted India to become the Top Investment Destination of the world again displacing China to the number 2 position.
It is estimated that India's GDP will double to around $4.5 trillion in the next 7 to 8 years if the pace of economic reforms continue at such a frantic pace and on the other hand Pakistan's economy will expand to an insignificant $311 billion by 2020 if it continues to grow at 4.5% Y-o-Y (Year-on-Year).
What does this means in terms of Military Expansion of the Armed Forces of India ?
India's current defense budget is set at $47 billion dollars for the financial year 2015-16 which includes salaries to service men, other operational expense and acquisition of new military hardware for all three wings of the armed forces. Last year, India overtook Germany to rank at no. 8 in the list of countries with the highest military expenditure. It spent more money on National Defence than countries like Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Italy & Canada.
Pakistan on the other hand ranks at no. 27 on the Global Index of Defense Budgets and spends $7 billion on its military budget.
By the year 2020, India is expected to emerge as the third-biggest country in terms of defence-related expenditure behind the United State at No. 1 and China at No. 2. India is expected to spend a whopping $70 billion in the year 2020 on Military Power Projection leaving its arch rival Pakistan so far behind that it would be impossible for them to even dream of catching up with its sworn enemy India.
The military disparity between India and Pakistan is so vast that it has forced Pakistan to increase the number of Nuclear Warheads to deter India from launching an all-out offensive into their territory. But with advancement in anti-ballistic technology, Pakistan sees itself being dragged in yet another arms race which it cannot afford. It highly relies on countries like the United States and China for military and financial aid from time to time to avoid being declared as a defaulter or going bankrupt.
If India's GDP adds one whole Pakistan to its economy every year then do the Armed Forces of India also expand in proportion i.e. adding firepower equivalent to the whole of Pakistan's defence forces ?
The answer is Yes.
India is frantically building & inducting Aircraft Carriers, Su-30MKI jets, artillery guns, stealth destroyers, stealth frigates, conventional and nuclear submarines, various offensive and defensive missile systems, military satellites, new mountain strike corps, attack helicopters and much more every year. Expansion of the armed forces of India at such a pace cannot be possibly matched by Pakistan who's defence budget is confined by its limited economy.
Pakistan is no longer a threat to India ::
With Pakistan being left so far behind in terms of economy and military, India no longer sees it as a threat. Pakistan's economy is so weak that it does not have the capability to sustain a war with its powerful neighbor for more than 3 days. All decisions on weapons acquisition for the Armed Force of India are made keeping China in mind and not Pakistan. Although India and China share a warm and friendly relationship, minor skirmishes do happen at the International border between the two Asian giants.
India on the other hand is slowly and steadily forging military alliances with countries like the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Australia & Israel who all see China's expansionist intentions as the no. 1 threat to world peace and stability. World powers on the other hand see India as the only counter-weight to China in the Asia-Pacific region.
With relentless efforts by the Modi govt. to hard push economic reforms, there is no doubt that India in the next 5 years will gate crash into the major league to become the third most powerful country in the world.