Mohali Deputy Commissioner reviews first day of Independence Day rehearsals
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India Today
a minute ago
- India Today
Pak's anti-India rocket force to be built on Chinese template
Following its drubbing by Indian forces during the four-day conflict, Pakistan has announced the creation of a new Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC), which is reportedly inspired by China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). Unveiling the plan on the eve of Independence Day, Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, on August 13, announced the creation of the new military force, which he said, "will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the combat capability of Pakistan's army".advertisement"It will be equipped with modern technology," Sharif ARFC aims to bolster Pakistan's missile combat capabilities in conventional warfare, reported news agency Reuters. The move by Pakistan comes three months after the four-day military conflict with India. Indian missiles and defence systems decisively outperformed Pakistan's Chinese-supplied four-day mini-war in May was dominated by aerial missile combat, with both India and Pakistan deploying drones, missiles, and loitering munitions. While India pounded terror-heavens in Pakistan with its domestically developed BrahMos and Akash systems, along with the Russian-origin S-400, Pakistan relied on Chinese-made PL-15 missiles. All the Pakistani missiles failed to make impact, as they were successfully intercepted and neutralised by India's layered air defence network. One of them fell on a farmland in development also underscores Pakistan's deepening military alignment with China. According to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China accounted for 81% of Pakistan's arms imports between 2020 and 2024, up from an average 74% in the past five Pakistan has announced a new military force modelled on China's PLARF, which manages China's land-based missile arsenal, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, both nuclear and are five key takeaways on the move and what it could mean going forward.1. FALLOUT OF OPERATION SINDOOR DROVE PAK'S MISSILE COMMANDThe announcement follows the four-day mini-war, during which Indian forces repulsed all cross-border attacks on Indian military and civilian setback has prompted a structural rethink of Pakistan's missile command, which has now been reimagined with Chinese inspiration.A senior Pakistani security official, quoted by news agency Reuters, said that the ARFC is "obviously meant for India", signalling Pakistan's intent to counter India's demonstrated missile defence new force aims to centralise and enhance Pakistan's missile capabilities to prevent a repeat of such setbacks.2. PAKISTAN'S ARFC MIRRORS CHINA 'S PLARFPakistan's ARFC is explicitly patterned after China's PLARF, the fourth branch of the People's Liberation Army, which manages Beijing's vast arsenal of land-based ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles for both nuclear and conventional in 1966 as the Second Artillery Corps and renamed in 2016, the PLARF is a cornerstone of China's strategic to Group Captain MJ Augustine (Retired) in the Eurasian Times, Pakistan's ARFC will adopt a similar structure, with a dedicated command for missile deployment, leveraging Chinese technology transfers to enhance precision and alignment suggests strengthening of the China-Pakistan "all-weather friendship".3. STRENGTHENING THE CHINA-PAKISTAN MILITARY AXISAnalysts view the ARFC as yet another sign of deepening military ties between Islamabad and Beijing. Pakistan's defence cooperation with China now goes beyond arms Operation Sindoor, China supported Pakistan with intelligence, satellite surveillance, and advanced weapons, including the J-10 fighter jets and AI-backed the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Computing (CENTAIC) of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, during his speech in Parliament on July 29, claimed CENTAIC aims to "integrate the Pakistani Air Force with the Chinese Air Force and transform the PAF into a network-centric air force".He claimed CENTAIC, established in Pakistan in 2020, apparently with Chinese assistance, is a key part of a growing effort to transform the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) into a network-centric force that could be seamlessly integrated with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force using AI and real-time data exchange.4. EMPHASIS ON CONVENTIONAL MISSILE COMBATUnlike the Army Strategic Forces Command that manages Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, the newly formed ARFC will focus solely on conventional missile ARFC will oversee platforms such as the Babur cruise missile, the Shaheen ballistic missile series, and Fatah guided rockets, with an emphasis on executing swift, coordinated strikes to challenge India's air dominance and missile defence force's technology could include Chinese-supplied systems like the A-100 multiple launch rocket systems and Fatah-IV cruise missiles, according to Captain ARFC is likely a new corps-level command, headed by a Lieutenant General reporting directly to the Army Chief Asim Munir.5. REGIONAL, STRATEGIC EQUATIONS ON PAK'S MINDIndia currently holds the edge with systems like BrahMos, Akash, Prithvi, and PL-15 missiles were largely ineffective during the May military ARFC now set to be in place, Islamabad appears to be trying to close that gap by leveraging Chinese expertise and tech in March at the India Today Conclave 2025, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi sounded a strong warning about the growing military cooperation between China and Pakistan, describing it as a "high degree of collusion" that New Delhi can no longer afford to now Pakistan moving ahead with a separate missile command, that too, with Chinese assistance and collaboration, Pakistan has its vulnerabilities in mind. And it is in pursuit of that very gap that Islamabad is betting big on missiles.- Ends advertisement
New Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Congress govt borrowed more in 20 months than KCR did in 10 years, says KTR
HYDERABAD: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Friday alleged that the debt incurred by the Congress government under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the past 20 months was more than the borrowing made by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's administration over a decade. 'We have a state with strong revenues, but the Congress is incapable of governance,' Rama Rao said after unveiling Praja Yodhudu, a book on BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao written by Mahendra Thotakuri. He said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the absence of revenue, the BRS government continued welfare schemes such as Rythu Bandhu, Kalyana Lakshmi, pensions and paddy procurement. This, he said, was possible because of 'an efficient leader' at the helm. Rama Rao accused the present chief minister of focusing on raising money and 'sending bundles to Delhi' instead of working for the people. Addressing the Independence Day celebrations at Telangana Bhavan, he criticised the state government over urea shortage, noting that farmers were waiting in long queues for the fertiliser. 'Revanth Reddy has brought back the old Congress days. Independence does not just mean self-governance, but living with self-respect. Under KCR's leadership, we had that for 10 years. Now, Delhi's rule has been forced on Telangana,' he said.
New Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
CM Rekha Gupta vows Yamuna cleaning, best infra and Atal canteens
NEW DELHI: In her maiden Independence Day speech, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday pledged to rejuvenate the Yamuna river, provide the country's best infrastructure in Delhi, and set up Atal canteens offering meals at Rs 5 to the needy. Describing Delhi as the heart of the country, and the Yamuna the 'soul', the CM noted that the BJP government was working for the city's rejuvenation through multiple interventions. 'I don't just promise but pledge to rejuvenate the Yamuna. The Yamuna was neglected for years and no action was taken to fix its pollution. The government has started a time-bound action plan such as installation of decentralised sewage treatment plants to clean Yamuna', she said. To support women in labour-intensive jobs, including taxi drivers, the government will set up 500 new centres and crèches, she announced. Announcing that her government will launch the 'Atal canteens', scheme on the birth anniversary of late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the CM stated that meals will be provided to the needy for Rs 5. She assured welfare steps for the poor and stated that her government will come up with a welfare board for the gig workers in the city. The CM also highlighted her government's efforts to provide permanent houses to slum dwellers. Noting that her government was working to repair the city's roads, Gupta said that the issue of waterlogging during rains was being addressed through the desilting of drains, among other measures. The ceremony unfolded under heavy showers that tested the endurance of participants and spectators. A few members of the marching contingents lost consciousness after the parade and were helped to the stands.
