Pakistan Establishes New Military Unit After Conflict With India To Increase Missile Combat Readiness
Pakistan intends to establish a new military unit to supervise missile capabilities in order to compete with India in conventional combat.
The establishment of a new Army Rocket Force by Pakistan to supervise and improve its conventional missile combat capabilities is generally interpreted as an attempt to catch up to India, its arch-enemy.
The announcement was made late Wednesday by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at a ceremony in Islamabad commemorating the anniversary of the bloodiest war between India and Pakistan in decades. The occasion occurred just one day prior to the 78th Independence Day celebrations in the nation.
The force, which would be “equipped with modern technology,” is a “milestone” in bolstering the army’s fighting capability, according to Sharif. The new unit would have its own specific military command, responsible for handling and deploying missiles in the case of a conventional battle, according to a senior security official, who did not reveal operational details.
“Clearly, it is intended for India,” the person stated, pointing out that the two nuclear-armed countries have been modernizing their armed forces ever since they gained independence from British domination in 1947.
Following heightened tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi, the declaration was made. India accused Pakistan of carrying out the April bombing that killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, a claim Islamabad refuted. Both sides used fighter jets, drones, and missiles as the decades-old rivalry flared into the most intense combat in years by May. Though India insists the truce was negotiated directly between the two military, the fighting came to an end after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire.
The establishment of the Army Rocket Force demonstrates Pakistan’s continuous efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities in the face of ongoing regional conflicts and geopolitical rivalry with India.
