Pakistan Deploys 250 Chinese Howitzers Along Indian Border

The Government of Pakistan has deployed approximately 250 Chinese-made SH-15 truck-mounted 155mm self-propelled howitzers along its eastern border with India. Manufactured by NORINCO, these systems are concentrated in northern Punjab and tactical sectors including Gujranwala, Sialkot, and Jalalpur Jattan near the Shakargarh bulge. The SH-15 howitzers feature "shoot-and-scoot" mobility and can strike targets between 50 and 72 kilometers using rocket-assisted munitions.

This deployment is part of a broader modernization effort to match India's own artillery upgrades, such as the K-9 Vajra and Dhanush guns. The move follows India's Operation Sindoor in May 2025, a tri-services counterterrorism operation involving precision strikes across the Line of Control. While Pakistan uses SH-15s in the north, it continues to employ tracked M-109 guns in desert sectors facing Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The Ministry of External Affairs of India responded by stating it remains vigilantly deployed and will do whatever is necessary to safeguard national interests. Indian officials also criticized recent elections in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir as a "complete farce," citing a crackdown that has killed at least 90 civilians since June.