Pakistan’s latest excuse for its inability to put down the the Taliban insurgency is lack of “capacity,” which means they don’t have the proper military equipment. Every senior Paksitani politician has claimed that if only the United States would provide items like night vision goggles and helicopters, Pakistan’s fight would be going swimmingly.
But the reality is that the Pakistanis could fill these equipment needs without Western assistance. Russia and other former Soviet nations, as well as China, sell helicopters and night vision gear. If these items were so critical to the fight, then the Pakistanis wouldn’t be sitting around waiting for a handout; they’d go buy the equipment needed and push it to the front lines. Instead, the Pakistanis wait for the United States and other nations to open their wallets yet again. Pakistan is also offering excuse as part of an effort to hide the very real problem that exists within its military: the Army leadership is reluctant to send its regular troops into the fight out of fear that the Army will fracture and elements will defect to the enemy. And this would detract from the real purpose of the Army: to secure the eastern border from their arch enemy, the Indians. The problem with that is that if the Army remains on the sideline for too long, it might not have a country left to defend against the Indians.
