China to give 236 howitzer guns to Pak

New Delhi, December 21

Amid heightened tension across the across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has engaged China to overhaul its firepower, sources said on Saturday.

Pakistan Army inked a deal with China Northern Industries Corporation (NORINCO) this year to procure artillery guns, the SH-15 Howitzer. Pakistan wants to procure 236 of these artillery guns with transfer-of-technology (ToT) clauses and plans to place them along the LoC. “It could be nuclear-capable,” said a source.

NORINCO has also inked a deal with Pakistan’s premier defence manufacturing unit, the Heavy Industries Taxila in overhauling the main battle tank Type 85-IIAP, which is an improvement over Type 80 MBT line. — IANS