Latest news with #PakistaniArmy
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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
Embarrassment for Asim Munir! BLA captures key city during field marshal's visit to Balochistan
As Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir issued warnings to India from Balochistan's capital Quetta, the BLA claimed control of the Surab city of the restive province read more Pakistan has promoted Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir to rank of Field Marshal. YouTube/ISPR In a huge embarrassment for Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, the separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed control of Surab city of Balochistan as he was delivering a speech in the provincial capital of Quetta. Munir, while addressing the Command and Staff College, said he was in favour of a peaceful resolution to the 'Kashmir issue' and condemned what he called India's 'unlawful and legally untenable hydro-terrorism', in reference to the decision by New Delhi to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'While reiterating the resolve to defeat any aggression and ability to deal with threats across the entire conflict spectrum, the COAS asserted that Pakistan will never be coerced and inimical designs to distract Pakistan's efforts against war on terrorism will be comprehensively defeated. For strategic stability of South Asia, the COAS emphasized the need for peaceful resolution of longstanding internationally recognized Kashmir dispute, and warned against the unlawful and legally untenable 'hydro terrorism' by India,' the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military's media wing, said in a statement Friday (May 30). BLA claims control of Surab city While Munir spoke, the Baloch Liberation Group, a banned separatist group in Pakistan, announced that it had taken control of Surab city in Balochistan. The group, which has increased its activities recently, made this announcement to coincide with the field marshal's visit, likely aiming to challenge the military's claim of control in the restive province. At the same time, Munir expressed confidence that Pakistan's fight against terrorism would continue until it is completely successful, ensuring victory over all forms of extremism. Operation Herof The BLA is continuing its 'Operation Herof' against the Pakistani regime, launched in August 2024. Analysts consider the operation as the largest and most coordinated armed campaign as part of the Baloch self-determination movement. Even during the recent Indo-Pak conflict, the BLA claimed it conducted 71 attacks against the Pakistani regime at 51 locations. In addition to Pakistani rule in Balochistan, the BLA has also opposed Chinese presence in the region. The group has mounted attacks against the Chinese as well, in the province.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Asim Munir tightens grip, but that fifth star could spell trouble for India
What can a Pakistan Army chief do with a fifth star that he couldn't with four? What can a Pakistan Army chief, master of all he surveys, do as Field Marshal that he couldn't as a mere General? It's tempting to say, little more. This is just a bit more bling on his collar, cap, car, and, when he chooses, on his pulpit — a main battle tank. That must be the question also assailing his mind. He knows that he can't have this fifth star and do nothing more with it. Should India worry? The short answer is, India must always worry about the Pakistani army, and it does. Just that, there's this added concern and urgency with this bizarre promotion from within the 'system' — or maybe from outside it, depending on where you place Shehbaz Sharif in this arrangement. What will he do with his fifth star, only for the second time in Pakistan's and the subcontinent's history? (Our three five-stars, Cariappa, Manekshaw and Arjan Singh were handed ceremonial batons). It is a phenomenon so rare for modern militaries that today, the only example in a country of some consequence would be Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Even the mighty Americans buried the exalted title with Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower and Bradley. He will surely want to do something with it. I might suggest taking a leaf out of Idi Amin's book and find some equivalent of his 'Conqueror of the British Empire.' But this isn't the time to be funny. Firing his civilian government and taking over power would be so boring in Pakistan. He doesn't need that. All our politico-strategic analysis of Pakistan should henceforth be focused on this one central point. How will Field Marshal Asim Munir be different from General Asim Munir? What the General could do, we saw indicated in his speech to overseas Pakistanis on April 16 and in what happened in Pahalgam on April 22. The one promise in that speech he's yet to fulfil is, making Pakistan 'a hard state.' Victory celebrations for propaganda apart, he knows his military has suffered a severe setback. Any yet unsubstantiated claims of downing Indian planes can please the population for a while. It is just that the pictures of the battered airbases — each one of them east of the Indus — and the big Jaish-Lashkar establishments reduced to rubble will endure. However much he thumps his chest, the additional jingle of that fifth star will not change those facts on the ground. He would want to do something soon to 'make amends'. In fact, he would need to. I would go so far as to wager that he will do something sooner than we might have imagined. In the past, in a phenomenon described earlier as the Pakistani Army's 'seven-year itch', each major terror attack and the Indian response bought us about seven years of deterrence and relative peace. We will not get that kind of time now, because Munir hasn't got it. When he will act, what he will do, we can wargame — but can't be sure. There's only one thing I can say with certainty. If you are looking at six or seven years, I can tell you for sure where Munir will be. Politics, culture, and history of Pakistan indicate that it won't be a good place. Before we get there, however, the awesome powers he amassed as a four-star deserve a look. He already had at his feet the civilian government he conjured to get 'elected.' Hear the fawning words, the body language, and see if there's anything prime ministerial about the younger Sharif brother in the presence of his 'sipahsalar' (commander-in-chief, as he was already addressing Munir before that fifth star). Cheerleader, court-jester, or a bit of both, take your pick. Munir has already been speaking on all key issues, including the promise of a trillion-dollar economy (currently $410 billion). He's locked up Imran Khan, the only leader to challenge the army's exalted power. This, after he banned his party from contesting. The fact that Munir's preferred parties (the coalition led by PML-N) couldn't even win this one-horse race didn't matter; he installed them nevertheless. The judiciary has caved in, especially as it conceded to the military courts the power to try civilians for some most serious offences, especially treason. He's already got his handmaiden Parliament, elected in an institutionally stolen election to rubber stamp amendments to mangle the Constitution and give himself an extended tenure. He's got it all sewn up. So, what's next? See it from where the field marshal sits. If he looks seven years ahead, he would dearly hope and pray that statutory warning on mutual fund advertising applies in his case: Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Because the past will tell him that every exalted army chief with political ambition has ended up badly: Disgraced in defeat, or exiled, prosecuted, even assassinated and, in some cases, three of the four. Ayub, Yahya, Zia, Musharraf, the four make a straight line. To stretch this, even Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became a dictator and shared the same fate. Munir's two predecessors, Qamar Javed Bajwa and Raheel Sharif were prudent in ultimately fading away, whatever power they exercised when in uniform. A Pakistani chief with the kind of power that Munir now has, no longer enjoys the luxury of thinking of retirement one day to play golf. That option out, Munir has the compulsion to do something with what the religious teacher in him might see as a god-given opportunity. I seem to be the chosen one, and if so, what is it that I was chosen to do? His rise is sui generis even for Pakistan. The country has given us a chief who the civilian government appointed defence and home minister simultaneously (Ayub), then made him the chief martial law administrator, and who, in turn, fired the same civilian government to become president and, soon after, anointed himself field marshal. We've seen Yahya, Zia and Musharraf as garden variety military rulers all meeting one of these ends. The last two also installed some kind of an elected government. This 'bonsai' phenomenon was Pakistan's unique contribution to political science. When the generals were not directly in power, they held it from outside. Again, that uniquely Pakistani phenomenon was called 'hybrid' government. How would you describe what we have now? A field marshal with a captive government and his only likely challenger in jail. More than three decades back, when Nawaz Sharif was dismissed by the military establishment, he had said to me defiantly in an interview: 'What kind of system is this, addha tittar, addha bater (half a partridge, half a quail).' When he returns with a majority next, he said, he would make sure there's clarity. Either they (the army) should rule, or us (elected civilians). I wonder how he would describe what he sees now, self-exiled from politics in his own country. How would you see this? An army chief elevated to field marshal, the most popular leader jailed for almost two years, and a farcically elected civilian government in power. Do you remember Duck-billed Platypus from your class five biology class — the unique Australian organism with characteristics of a mammal, bird and reptile used to make the case for evolution between species? I know you are laughing, but please don't. This isn't funny. This is what Field Marshal Munir is now presiding over. He cannot have it all and do nothing with it. That fifth star is as much of a burden as the fake claims of victory. India had better be prepared. Munir doesn't have another 5–7 years. He could be back at our throats soon, even within the next 12 months.
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Rajnath: If Navy had acted, Pak would have split into 4
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh aboard India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, on Friday warned Pakistan of the Indian Navy's unmatched strength, stating that had the Navy joined its sister forces in active combat during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan would have faced a worse outcome than in 1971, surmising that it could have been divided into four parts. "1971 is a witness to this, that when the Indian Navy came into action, Pakistan was divided from one to two. If the Indian Navy had come into action in Operation Sindoor, then Pakistan would not only have been divided into two parts, but I think it would have been divided into four parts," Singh proclaimed. The Defence Minister was speaking during his visit to INS Vikrant, currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, where he reviewed operational readiness and praised the Navy's role in neutralising threats during the operation. Singh commended the Indian Navy's silent but effective role in bottling up Pakistani naval assets, asserting that their aggressive deployment, maritime dominance, and high state of preparedness prevented Pakistan from challenging Indian interests at sea and kept its naval assets confined to their own shores. "During 'Operation Sindoor', the Indian Navy has impressed every Indian with its silent service. Despite remaining silent, the Indian Navy succeeded in tying down the Pakistani Army," he said. "The role of the Navy in this entire integrated operation has been glorious. During Operation Sindoor, when the Air Force destroyed the terror bases on Pakistani soil, your aggressive deployment in the Arabian Sea, unmatched maritime domain awareness and maritime supremacy confined the Pakistani Navy to its own shores. They could not even muster the courage to come into the open sea," the minister added.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Operation Sindoor 'just an arrow in the quiver': Modi
Karakat (Bihar)/Kanpur: Prime Minister on Friday likened terrorism to a serpent to issue a stern warning 'terror will be dragged out of its hole and trampled if it tries to raise its hood again'. Hours later, he also said Operation Sindoor was "just an arrow in the quiver" of India and was not over yet. Addressing rallies in Bihar's Karakat and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said that India demonstrated the power of its indigenous weapons during Operation Sindoor, which made "Pakistan plead to stop the war". He asserted that the Indian armed forces have reduced to rubble the hideouts of those who had masterminded the Pahalgam attack, sitting in Pakistan. In Karakat, Modi said the enemy must realise that Operation Sindoor was "just an arrow in our quiver. The war on terror is neither over nor has it come to a halt". "If terror tries to raise its hood again, it will be dragged out of its hole and trampled," he added. He also said the "power of sindoor (vermilion) worn by India's daughters was witnessed by Pakistan and the entire world. Terrorists used to feel secure under the protection of the Pakistani army. But we brought them to their knees. We also destroyed Pakistan's airbases and their military establishments. This is new India (Naya Bharat), and its power is there for all to behold". In the course of his speech, he made a mention of BSF sub-inspector Mohammed Imtiaz, a resident of Saran district, who died fighting for the country in Jammu and Kashmir, and likened his sacrifice to the valour of Veer Kunwar Singh, the legendary king of Jagdishpur in Bihar who is considered one of the heroes of the Revolt of 1857. From Bihar, Modi went to Uttar Pradesh, where he addressed a rally in Kanpur after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone for some developmental projects and said he was to attend the programme on April 24 but had to cancel it due to the Pahalgam terror attack two days prior. As many as 26 people, including Kanpur businessman Shubham Dwivedi, died in the dastardly attack at the verdant meadows of Baisaran in Pahalgam. In retaliatory action, India struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir two weeks later, which triggered a four-day military standoff with the neighbouring country. Modi began his speech by referring to the Pahalgam massacre and said, "Kanpur's son Shubham Dwivedi also became a victim of that barbarity." "We all can feel the pain, suffering and anger of our daughter Aishanya (Shubham's widow). The world witnessed the same anger of our sisters and daughters in the form of Operation Sindoor." "Operation Sindoor is not over yet. It showed the world power of indigenous weapons and Make in India. We destroyed terrorist hideouts in Pakistan by going hundreds of miles inside. Indian weapons, BrahMos missiles entered the enemy territory and wreaked havoc," Modi told the rally. The Prime Minister said the heroics of the Indian armed forces forced the Pakistani Army to "plead to stop the war" and asserted that India would no longer be intimidated by the threat of using nuclear bomb nor would it make a decision on that basis. Saluting the bravery of the armed forces' personnel, the Prime Minister reiterated India's uncompromising stance against terrorism. "The enemy, which was pleading during Operation Sindoor, should not be under any illusion, Operation Sindoor has not ended yet," Modi said and added that Pakistan's ploy of state and non-state actors was not going to work anymore. Laying out India's three principles in the fight against terror, Modi said, "First, India will give a befitting reply to every terrorist attack with the timing, manner, and the condition of the reply to be decided by our armies themselves." "Second, India will no longer be scared of the threat of atom bombs nor would it make a decision on that basis. And third, India will see the masters of terror and the government patronising terror in the same light."
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Revanth Reddy's Rafale question: Is it anti-India or in national interest? Panelists debate
In this episode of 'To The Point', the focus is on the political war over Revanth Reddy's question on Rafale jets. Telangana Chief Minister Revant Reddy demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi explain how many Rafale fighter jets were shot down by the Pakistani Army during India's Operation Sindoor. The remark drew a fierce response from the BJP. The BJP accused the Congress of being 'anti-national' and playing into Pakistan's hands. So, is Revanth Reddy's Rafale question anti-India or in the national interest? Should the government clear the air? Watch as panelists debate these and more on Preeti Choudhry's show.
