Russia will provide unspecified 'special' military equipment to Pakistan: Sergey Lavrov
Islamabad, Apr 7: Russia will provide unspecified "special" military equipment to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday as the two bitter Cold War rivals agreed to step up cooperation to fight terrorism and conduct joint naval and land exercises.
Lavrov, the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in nearly a decade, made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi after holding delegation-level talks during which they agreed to further promote bilateral cooperation in the field of economy, trade, security, including counter-terrorism and defence.
"We stand ready to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of Pakistan, including by supplying Pakistan with special military equipment," Lavrov said, without giving the details of the Russian equipment.
"This is in the interest of all states of the region, he said, adding that both the sides have agreed to further conduct military exercises and drills.
Russia and Pakistan have been holding annually the joint exercise - DRUZHBA since 2016. In October 2016, they held their first-ever joint military exercise in Pakistan.
Russia in the past said India should not be worried about its relationship with Pakistan and Moscow is committed to developing ties with Islamabad as it is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
It had said the military drills with Pakistan were part of the counter-terror framework and such collaborations including experience sharing and capacity building is natural for all the SCO member states.
The SCO is an eight-nation bloc which is largely dominated by Russia and China, and is being increasingly seen as a counterweight to NATO. India and Pakistan became permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2017.
Lavrov also said that Russia was committed to promote bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in diverse fields including economy, trade and defence.
Pakistan's defence ties with Russia have moved past the bitter Cold War hostilities in recent years and the chill in the relations between Pakistan and the US has further pushed the country towards Russia and China.
Over the past few years, Russia has supplied Mi-35M combat and cargo helicopters to Pakistan, which has shown eagerness to build defence level ties with Moscow.
Later in the day, Lavrov, who arrived here from India on Tuesday on a two-day official visit with the objective to deepen cooperation in different fields, called on Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. They discussed matters of mutual interest including enhancing defence and security cooperation, regional security, particularly Afghan Peace Process.
"We have no hostile designs towards any country and will keep on working towards a cooperative regional framework based on sovereign equality and mutual progress," Gen Bajwa told Lavrov, according to a statement by the Army.
The powerful Army chief said that Pakistan values its relations with Russia and reciprocates the desire for enhanced bilateral military cooperation.
He also offered support for efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan welcomes all initiatives which can bring peace and stability in Afghanistan as the whole region will benefit from it, he said.
Lavrov met Bajwa on the last day of his two-day visit.
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War Far Away, Pain Right At Your Door
There is a war burning in West Asia — far from India's borders, far from our daily worries. But here is something nobody is telling you clearly — that war is quietly walking towards your kitchen, your house, your farm, and your factory. You may not see it coming. But you will feel it.
Let us talk simply, the way one neighbour explains to another.
West Asia — the region that includes countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran — is not just the world's petrol pump. It is also a massive warehouse of raw materials that India depends on heavily. India bought goods worth nearly ₹8.3 lakh crore from this region in 2025 alone. That is not a small number. That is the foundation of many things you use every single day.
Now, missile and drone attacks are hitting energy facilities in the Gulf. Ships are scared to sail. The Strait of Hormuz — a narrow sea passage through which a huge chunk of the world's oil and gas travels — is under serious threat. If that route closes, the impact will not just stop at petrol prices. It will go much deeper.
Your home could become costlier to build.
India gets 68% of its limestone from West Asia. Limestone is the main ingredient in cement. No cement, no construction. And even if cement is available, its price will shoot up. Gypsum — which is used for plastering your walls, making false ceilings, and giving your home that smooth finish — also comes 62% from the same region. If ships stop, your dream home project either stops or burns a bigger hole in your pocket.
Your food could become expensive too.
India imports about 65% of its sulphur from West Asia. Sulphur may not be something people notice in daily life, but it is used to make sulphuric acid, which is essential for producing phosphate fertilisers. Fertilisers feed our crops, and crops feed us. If sulphur supply is disrupted for a month or more, production of phosphate fertilisers in India could be affected.
At the same time, if LNG or sulphur supplies are disrupted for a month or more, India’s overall fertiliser production — including urea and phosphate fertilisers — could face disruptions, potentially affecting farmers in the coming season.
Less urea means farmers may struggle during the next sowing season. When farmers struggle, food production can suffer. And when food production falls, food prices rise — something households, especially those on tight budgets, feel immediately.
The steel in your city's roads and bridges is also at risk.
India gets nearly 59% of its Direct Reduced Iron — a key raw material to make steel — from West Asia. Steel is everywhere. It is in the beams of buildings under construction, in the infrastructure projects your city is waiting for, in the auto parts and machinery. Industry people are already saying that while alternative sources exist for materials like limestone and DRI, the real killer is the rising and unstable price of oil and gas. Most steel plants run on LPG and LNG. When gas prices go up, the cost of making steel goes up, and ultimately, that cost passes on to you.
Even the shine on your jewellery is at risk.
India's diamond cutting and polishing industry — which employs lakhs of workers, mostly in Gujarat — gets more than 40% of its rough diamonds from West Asia. If conflict disrupts that trade, those workers feel the pinch first. Jobs slow down. Incomes fall.
So what is being done?
India is already adjusting. Refiners are buying more oil from Russia at discounted prices. Fertiliser companies are looking at Southeast Asia for sulphur. Limestone can potentially come from Thailand or Vietnam. But these alternatives take time, cost more to ship, and cannot replace West Asia overnight.
The fertiliser sector has some breathing room for now since it is currently the off-season for farming. But experts are clearly warning — if disruption continues beyond one month, the next crop season will feel the squeeze. That means the farmer in Punjab, the vegetable grower in Maharashtra, the paddy cultivator in Andhra — all of them could face higher input costs with no guarantee of better prices for their produce.
There is a quiet truth here that needs to be said plainly. Wars do not stay in the places they start. They travel through trade routes, through shipping lanes, through price tags in your local market. This one is no different.
Every brick that costs more, every bag of fertiliser that gets delayed, every power bill that climbs higher — these are not just economic numbers. These are real burdens on real families who are already managing tight budgets, rising expenses, and uncertain futures.
The war may be far away. But its shadow is already falling on us — slowly, silently, and surely.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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