Dozens of people have been killed this month in fierce clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, marking their bloodiest confrontation since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. As both sides agreed to a fragile 48-hour ceasefire that began on Wednesday at 1300 GMT, attention has turned to the glaring imbalance between their militaries, and how Pakistan’s once-vaunted armed forces now find themselves overextended, politically constrained, and struggling to maintain control.
Overview
Pakistan’s military, long seen as the backbone of its state power, remains large but increasingly hollowed out by corruption, low morale, and overreliance on China. Decades of focusing on proxy wars and internal repression have left its forces overstretched. Islamabad continues to pour billions into its nuclear and naval programs, yet its conventional strength is showing signs of fatigue amid growing instability at home.
The Taliban’s forces, though smaller and poorly equipped, have one key advantage: motivation. Their fighters are battle-hardened from years of guerrilla warfare and border skirmishes. Despite limited international recognition and deteriorating access to modern weaponry, the Taliban have managed to sustain a level of resistance that has repeatedly embarrassed Pakistan’s far superior army.
Personnel
Pakistan fields about 660,000 active troops -- 560,000 in the army, 70,000 in the air force, and 30,000 in the navy. But recruitment is slowing and desertions have reportedly risen in recent years as economic turmoil weakens national morale.
By contrast, the Taliban’s armed forces number roughly 172,000 active personnel, with plans to expand to 200,000. While they lack formal training, their ranks are filled with experienced fighters from the Afghan wars, many of whom have captured and repurposed foreign weapons abandoned during the U.S. withdrawal.
Fighting vehicles and artillery
Pakistan possesses more than 6,000 armoured vehicles and around 4,600 artillery pieces, yet many of these assets are aging or poorly maintained. Chinese-supplied tanks and guns have bolstered the numbers, but frequent reports of technical failures and ammunition shortages raise doubts about operational readiness.
The Taliban, meanwhile, control a modest but varied collection of armoured vehicles, including Soviet-era tanks and personnel carriers. Though their quantities are uncertain, their effective use of mobile units and captured weaponry has compensated for the lack of sophisticated hardware.
Air force
Pakistan boasts around 465 combat aircraft and more than 260 helicopters. But even this powerful fleet has struggled to maintain air superiority in mountainous border regions, where Taliban fighters have adapted to terrain and guerrilla tactics. Several of Pakistan’s Chinese-built aircraft have faced maintenance issues and grounding orders.
Afghanistan has virtually no functioning air force. The Taliban hold a handful of old Soviet aircraft and about 23 helicopters, many in questionable condition. Yet, their lack of an air fleet has not prevented them from inflicting serious losses on Pakistani troops using ground-based assaults and captured drones.
Nuclear arsenal
Pakistan’s only undeniable strategic advantage lies in its nuclear stockpile of around 170 warheads. But its nuclear capability, often flaunted as a symbol of deterrence, has done little to prevent border incursions or the erosion of its regional influence. Afghanistan, by contrast, has no nuclear weapons.
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