Saudi-UAE Tension: At the beginning of the new year, the long-running war in Yemen has once again taken a sharp turn. In fact, the Saudi-led coalition carried out air strikes on UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council positions. Meanwhile, let us know when Saudi Arabia and UAE have fought each other before and also who among them is more powerful.

History of serious controversies

Although Saudi Arabia and UAE have never fought a large-scale direct war against each other, their relations are not free from conflict. One of the earliest conflicts was the Buraimi dispute, which lasted between 1952 and 1955. It was a regional conflict over the Al Buraimi Oasis involving Saudi Arabia and the Trucial States, then a British protectorate. Later, the Jeddah Treaty of 1974 formally demarcated the borders between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

yemen crisis

In this conflict, one of the most serious conflicts, both the countries initially fought the Houthi rebels together. Over time their strategic goals diverged. Saudi Arabia supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government, while the UAE supported the Southern Transitional Council, which seeks independence for southern Yemen.

This tension increased considerably between December 2025 and January 2026 when Saudi Arabia allegedly attacked an arms consignment belonging to the UAE at the Mukalla port in Yemen. After this there was a direct clash between Saudi-backed and UAE-backed forces.

power of saudi arabia

If seen from the perspective of traditional power, Saudi Arabia’s influence is quite high. It has more than 2.5 lakh active military personnel. Along with this, it spends approximately 75 billion dollars annually on defence. This empire has advanced fighter jets like F-15 and Eurofighter Typhoon, heavy armored vehicles and missile systems. Along with this, the huge oil reserves and geographical size of this country make it quite big in economic and strategic terms.

UAE’s strength

The UAE army is much smaller. UAE has about 65000 soldiers. But the special thing is that it is considered one of the most professional and technologically advanced armies in this region. Often known as Little Sparta, the UAE has shown operational influence in Yemen, Libya and other foreign interventions.

Economically, UAE exerts more influence than its potential. Its sovereign wealth fund, whose total value is about one and a half trillion dollars, is one of the most diversified funds in the world.

Also read: How much money has India lent to ‘fraudulent’ Maldives, how is it being recovered from it?

General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, General of Pakistan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), commented on the power of New India in the 21st century, describing India as a powerful player in the new world order, an important part of the Global South and an aspirational country.

Addressing the program ‘Balancing Relationship Between Global North and Global South: Challenges and Opportunities’ organized in Islamabad, the General said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, in short I would like to say that India is an important country of the Global South and an ambitious country with an important place in the world order.”

These allegations were made against India

In the statement, General Shamshad Mirza described India as an “imperialist” and a country pursuing a policy of expansionism and said that India promotes fundamentalism, disregards UN resolutions and violates human rights. He described India as a possible ‘Trojan Horse’ of the Global South.

Suggestion to resolve dispute through third party

General Shamshad Mirza also said that mediation of third countries or international organizations is necessary to resolve the disputes between India and Pakistan. He said, “We will welcome such efforts by any country, multipolar panel or international organization.”

Comment on India’s military power and politics

Describing the Indian Army as militarized from a political point of view, the General said that this mix is ​​dangerous for regional stability. Referring to Operation Sindoor, he said that India used military power and Western support for its dominance.

Global South and India’s role

The Global South is a group of developing countries located in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania. These countries are emerging economically, socially and politically and have often historically faced colonialism and resource exploitation.

India is a major leader of the Global South. It strengthens the voices of these countries through the G-77, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other forums. During its G20 presidency in 2023, India prioritized issues of the Global South, particularly supporting these countries through climate finance, technical assistance, digital technology, renewable energy and vaccine diplomacy (COVAX).

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India vs Pakistan Military: Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir recently made an absurd statement against India and the Indian Army during the overseas Pakistani convention held in Islamabad.

Referring to India’s strength, General Munir said, “If the Indian Army of 13 lakhs could not scare the Pakistani Army with its strength, can some terrorists defeat the Pakistan Army?” After this statement, comparison of military power between India and Pakistan has become a topic of discussion again.

Who is more powerful?
According to Global Firepower (GFP) report 2025, India is the fourth strongest army in the world. At the same time, Pakistan was ranked ninth in 2024 last year, which has slipped to number 12. The Global Firepower Index (GFP) assesses the traditional war capabilities of countries every year. In this index, more than 60 factors such as population, defense budget, military resources, purchasing power, and strategic status are taken into consideration.

Population and military manpower
The total population of India is around 1.4 billion, which is second in the world, while Pakistan’s population is about 240 million, which ranks fifth. India has more than 5 million military manpower, while Pakistan has this number about 1 million. India’s active military strength is about 1.4 million, which is far more than Pakistan’s 650,000 active soldiers. Apart from this, India also has more reserve soldiers and paramilitary forces.

Comparison of defense budget
In the Union Budget of 2023-24, India has allocated 5.94 trillions (about $ 73.8 billion) for its defense preparations. On the other hand, Pakistan’s defense budget is only $ 6.34 billion. This difference clearly shows that India’s military budget is about 10 times more than Pakistan, which makes India heavy in advance weapons, military technology and security infrastructure.

Air Force: India’s reign in the sky
India has a total of 2,296 aircraft, which holds it fourth in the air force globally, while Pakistan has 1,434 aircraft. India’s Air Force includes 606 fighter aircraft and 31 squadron, equipped with modern aircraft such as SU-30MKI, Rafael and Tejas. In comparison, Pakistan has only 387 fighter aircraft, most of which are old American and Chinese technology.

Army and artillery
India has 4,614 tanks, while Pakistan has 3,742 tanks. Talking about armored vehicles, India has about 1.51 lakh armored vehicles, which are three times more than Pakistan’s about 50,000 vehicles. However, Pakistan has more number of automated cannons than India. 752 vs India’s 140, but India have more modern tanks and better army vehicles.

Navy: Blue Water vs Green Water
India has a total of 294 naval platforms, while Pakistan has this number 114. India have two aircraft carriers (INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya), while Pakistan does not have a single aircraft carrier. Because of this, India’s Navy is placed in the category of Blue-Veter Navy. At the same time, the Navy of Pakistan is called the Green-Wotter Navy, whose operation capacity is limited to regional boundaries only.

World Most Powerful Country: Today, when there is a situation of struggle, tension and military conflict in every corner of the world, every country is engaged in increasing its military strength. According to the Global Firepower (GFP) report 2025, a list of countries has been released which are considered the most influential in the world from military point of view.

In this rankings, countries have been ordered based on the power index, the less it is, the more the power of the country is considered as the score.

Top 10 most powerful country and their military power (2025)
1. America – Power Index: 0.0744
The total number of military personnel with America is 21 lakh 27 thousand 500. It has 13,043 aircraft, while 4,640 tanks are also present. The specialty of American is that thereafter is the largest Air Force and Global military basis.

2. Russia – Power Index: 0.0788
Currently, Russia, who is involved in the war with Ukraine, has a total number of military personnel of 35 lakh 70 thousand. It has 4,292 aircraft, while 5,750 tanks are also present. Russia’s specialty is that it has the largest tank force and nuclear power.

3. China – Power Index: 0.0788
China has the third largest army in the world, which is involved in trade war from the US. China has a total number of military personnel 31 lakh 70 thousand. It has 3,309 aircraft, while 6,800 tanks also exist. China is currently a rapid emerging military-technical power.

4. India – Power Index: 0.1184
India is the fastest growing economy in the world. Because of this, its military strength is also very strong. The total number of military personnel with India is 51 lakh 37 thousand 550. It has 2,229 aircraft, while 4,201 tanks are also present.
5. South Korea – Power Index: 0.1656
Amid the ongoing tension from North Korea and China, South Korea has secured 5th position in the list of the most powerful countries in the world. The total number of military personnel near it is 38 lakh 20 thousand. South Korea has 1,592 aircraft, while 2,236 tanks are also present. It keeps most of its army ready on the border of North Korea.

6. United Kingdom – Power Index: 0.1785
The total number of military personnel near the United Kingdom is 11 lakh 8 thousand 860. It has only 631 aircraft, while only 227 tanks are also present. However, its specialty is that they have state -of -the -art technology.

7. France – Power Index: 0.1878
European country France has a total number of military personnel of 3 lakh 76 thousand. It has only 976 aircraft, while there are only 215 tanks. However, its specialty is that it has a strong military influence in Europe.

8. Japan – Power Index: 0.1839
Japan, one of the most developed countries in Asia, has a total number of military personnel of 3 lakh 28 thousand 150. It has 1,443 aircraft, while 521 tanks exist.

9. Turki – Power Index: 0.1902
Turki has a total number of military personnel 8 lakh 83 thousand 900. It has 1,083 aircraft, while 2,238 tanks are present. Its specialty is that this country has strong military strength between Middle East and Europe.

10. Italy – Power Index: 0.2164
Italy, one of the associate countries of NATO, has a total number of military personnel 2 lakh 80 thousand. It has 729 aircraft, while 200 tanks are present.

India’s neighboring country Pakistan is out of the list of Top 10. According to Global Firepower (GFP) report 2025, Pakistan is ranked 12th. His Power IndEX score is 0.2513. Pakistan has a total number of total military personnel 17 lakh 4 thousand.

How is the global firepower rankings fixed?
GFP index does not rank only based on the number of army of a country, but it takes into account more than 60 parameters. In these, the following things are given special attention, which is as follows.

• Number of active soldiers
• Capacity of air, water and land force
• Logistics and resources
• Defense budget
• Geo-strategic location
• Access to natural resources

Therefore, this index not only counts weapons, but also tested the military organization, readiness and technology.