PM announces creation of missile command in Pakistan army aimed at boosting combat power
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the creation of the Army Rocket Force late Wednesday at a ceremony held in Islamabad to commemorate the worst conflict in decades with India in May.
The ceremony was held a day ahead of Pakistan's 78th Independence Day.
'It will be equipped with modern technology,' Sharif said in a statement from his office, adding that the force will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the combat capability of Pakistan's army.
He did not give any further details.
A senior security official, however, said that the force will have its own command in the military which will be dedicated to handling and deployment of missiles in any event of a conventional war.
'It is obvious that it is meant for India,' he said.
The two nuclear-armed nations keep upgrading their military capabilities in the wake of a longstanding rivalry since their independence from British rule in 1947.
The latest tension between the two countries soared in April over the killing of 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, an attack New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denied involvement.
A conflict then erupted in May, the most serious fighting between the two countries in decades, which saw both sides using missiles, drones and fighter jets before it ended with a ceasefire announcement by US President Donald Trump.
Islamabad acknowledges the US role, but India denies it, saying it was agreed directly between the two militaries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says
GAZA: The Israeli military will provide Gaza residents with tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to 'safe' ones in the south of the enclave, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Saturday. This comes days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban center, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people. The equipment will be transferred via the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom by the United Nations and other international relief organizations after being thoroughly inspected by defense ministry personnel, Adraee added in a post on X. Israel's COGAT, the military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the preparations were part of the new plan. Taking over the city of about one million Palestinians complicates ceasefire efforts to end the nearly two-year war, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu follows through with his plan to take on Hamas' two remaining strongholds. Netanyahu said Israel had no choice but to complete the job and defeat Hamas as the Palestinian militant group has refused to lay down its arms. Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state was established. Israel already controls about 75 percent of Gaza. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are alive. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says
The Israeli military will provide residents of Gaza with tents and shelter equipment starting from Sunday in preparation for relocating them from combat zones to south of the strip, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on Saturday. Israel has said it plans a new offensive to seize control of the northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban center.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Prominent religio-political leader's children killed, wife injured in northwestern Pakistan home shooting
PESHAWAR: A shooting at the residence of a prominent religio-political party leader, Mufti Kifayatullah, in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province left his son and daughter dead and his wife critically wounded on Saturday, while he himself sustained serious injuries, according to an official statement. A former provincial lawmaker from Malakand division and district chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, Kifayatullah was attacked inside his residence in Batkhela, Levies officials said in a statement. 'A shooting incident took place at the house of Mufti Kifayatullah, district chief of JUI-F in Batkhela,' the statement said. 'As a result of the firing, Kifayatullah was seriously injured, his daughter and son were killed, and his wife was also critically wounded.' Authorities said the assailant was the JUI-F politician's own son, who managed to escape after the attack. The bodies and the injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital in Batkhela, where doctors later said Kifayatullah's condition was out of danger. The motive behind the shooting was not immediately clear, though the incident appeared to be linked to some domestic dispute. The JUI-F, a major religio-political party with deep roots in northwestern Pakistan, has long exercised influence in the area. However, it struggled in the 2024 general elections, with leaders blaming security threats for their inability to run a full campaign.
