Pakistan is reportedly facing a critical shortage of artillery ammunition, with its stockpile estimated at lasting no more than four days in a high-intensity conflict.
According to sources cited by New Delhi-based ANI news agency, recent arms exports to Ukraine and Israel have significantly depleted Pakistan’s reserves, leaving its military vulnerable after just 96 hours of sustained combat.
The Pakistan Ordnance Factories, the nation’s main munitions manufacturer, is also reportedly struggling to replenish supplies due to aging infrastructure and limited production capacity.
The issue has already reached the country’s top military brass, making it a key discussion point during a Special Corps Commanders Conference held last week.
“Pakistan sailed its ammunition to distant wars, only to find itself stranded, its arsenals empty, and its defenses teetering on the edge,” a defense analyst told the outlet. “The pursuit of short-term economic gain has inflicted a long-term strategic wound.”
Rising Tensions With India
Concerns about a depleted artillery ammunition stockpile come amid reports that India may soon launch an attack on Pakistan in response to the April 22 terror strike in Pahalgam.
Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed when gunmen opened fire on a bus in the popular resort town. The attack was swiftly blamed on Pakistan-based militants, further straining already tense relations between the two countries.
Last week, Islamabad claimed it had “credible intelligence” suggesting India was planning an imminent military response to avenge the attack.
While New Delhi has neither confirmed nor denied the claims, multiple Indian officials said the armed forces had been given “operational freedom to decide the mode, targets, and timing” of any potential action.
The Pakistan Army fields a range of artillery systems, such as M109 howitzers and BM-21 rocket launchers, but sustaining a counteroffensive would be difficult without adequate ammunition reserves.
Between February and March 2023, Pakistan reportedly exported tens of thousands of 122mm rockets and 155mm shells, according to the Indian Defence Research Wing.
