Pakistan has announced the creation of a new Army Rocket Force to oversee and enhance its missile combat capabilities in conventional warfare — a move widely seen as aimed at matching neighbouring arch-rival India.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif unveiled the development late Wednesday during a ceremony in Islamabad marking the anniversary of Pakistan’s most intense conflict with India in decades. The event came just a day before the country’s 78th Independence Day celebrations.
Sharif described the force as a “milestone” in strengthening the army’s combat power, emphasising that it would be “equipped with modern technology.” While he did not disclose operational details, a senior security official confirmed the new unit would have its own dedicated military command, tasked with the handling and deployment of missiles in the event of a conventional conflict.
“It is obvious that it is meant for India,” the official said, noting the two nuclear-armed nations have long engaged in military modernisation since their independence from British rule in 1947.
The announcement follows renewed tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi. In April, 26 civilians were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir in an attack India blamed on Pakistan — a charge Islamabad denied. By May, the decades-old rivalry erupted into the most serious fighting in years, with both sides deploying missiles, drones, and fighter jets. The conflict ended following a ceasefire announcement by US President Donald Trump, though India maintains the truce was brokered directly between the two militaries.
The creation of the Army Rocket Force underscores Pakistan’s ongoing push to bolster its defence capabilities amid persistent regional hostilities and strategic competition with India.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
