Does Pakistan requires an aircraft carrier?

Air superiority has always been of a great consequence when relinquishing enemies and ensuring a firm defense. Nations expanded their influence across the globe thtough establishing military airbases on the soil of their allies but as a threat of an assault by an opponent inflated, those allies were reluctant to offer their soil to be used for military campaigns thus the focus had to be invested on alternate measures to ensure ascendancy across the globe through air power. An idea for the deployment of aircraft through a ship entered into the picture and it was not until 1918 when a fully operational warship was commissioned to carry out this task, it was the birth of the first aircraft carrier. An aircraft carrier is a warship equipped with full length flight deck and capabilities for carrying, arming, deploying and recovering airplanes. It is considered as the Queen of a Navy. The main motive for an aircraft carrier is to project air power world wide without relying on local airbases.

In the subcontinent two Nuclear powers, Pakistan and India, reside with a devastating fire power enough to utterly demolish the whole world. Pakistan and India have always been on a confrontational course which has caused both the nations to focus more on the defense of their realms. India being superior in resources has a stronger economy through which it has been able to establish a robust military. Pakistan comparatively has a smaller military to India due to it's inferiority in resources but despite all odds, it has always been steadfast when confronting it's eastern opponent.

When considering the Navel capabilities of both the powers, there's no doubting that India has a far powerful and agile fleet mainly due to it's aircraft carriers. India currently has two aircraft carriers in it's inventory and they are capable of deploying fire power to far off places. This has not only given the Indians an edge over it's western rival but also has enormously favored it's influence in the Indian ocean. Pakistan granted an answer to this by commissioning a fleet of 8 attack submarines into it's arsenal which is comparatively easy to maneuver and proves to be a far affordable alternative to an aircraft carrier fleet however in times to comes Pakistan has to take further measures to counter India's growing lust for the aircraft carriers. India is expected to possess 3 aircraft carriers by the year 2025. If Pakistan doesn't comes up with a new solid future plan to counter the on going vast Indian navel modernization, it's national security will be at sake.

Is acquiring an aircraft carrier by the Pakistani Navy the right answer to the Indian navel modernization? probably not. Only a superpower would logically and effectively develop such a massive an expensive warship. To develop an aircraft carrier it requires an investment of $6.5 Billion and the operational and sustainment coasts are even higher. A country buying it's first aircraft carrier has to develop new doctrine, training programs, port facilities and other support infrastructure for navel aviation. It has to restructure it's navy to incorporate the new carrier, both to defend it and to take advantage from it's capabilities.

We have to understand the position of India in the subcontinent. India's decision to commission more aircraft carriers is because it's strategy extends beyond Pakistan's. India recognizes itself as a global power and these measures will help her to project power. Pakistan however has to invest great struggle on it's economy. Acquiring aircraft carriers will detract Pakistan and will further reduce it's capability to defend itself from India.

We should also consider the fact that Pakistan never had the necessity to inaugurate Nuclear Weapons at the first place as the program had a very high cost and it wasn't a priority for a country like Pakistan which struggled maintaining it's collapsing economy right after the fall of East Pakistan, but due to the imminent threat posed from it's Eastern border which had a fully operational Nuclear weapon, Pakistan, despite all odds had to work day and night to establish a Nuclear weapon for safety and protection from any Indian offensive. The same case in with the aircraft carriers, although this being on a very small level but it can prove to be very lethal for Pakistan in times to come.
Bottom line, countries like Pakistan don't have a need that justifies the expense of acquiring or operating an aircraft carrier but only time can tell what will be the future undertakings of the Pakistani Navy depending upon the scenario.