Pakistan will create a new military unit dedicated to overseeing its missile arsenal, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Wednesday, following the country’s most intense clashes with
India in decades.
Speaking at an Independence Day ceremony in Islamabad attended by top military officials, Sharif said the newly established “Rocket Force Command” would be equipped with advanced technology and capable of striking “from all directions.” He added that the force would significantly boost Pakistan’s conventional warfare capabilities, praising the military’s performance during the recent hostilities.
The move comes after a fierce four-day conflict in May between the two nuclear-armed rivals, which left more than 70 dead on both sides due to missile, drone, and artillery exchanges — the deadliest fighting since 1999. Pakistan deployed several of its advanced missile systems during the clashes, supported by J-10C Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder fighter jets.
In the wake of the conflict, Islamabad has increased defence spending by 20% in the latest budget and is in talks to acquire 40 Chinese fighter jets along with new air defence systems.
“The aim is to further strengthen Pakistan’s military capability after the recent conflict,” retired general and defence analyst Talat Masood told AFP.
The May escalation was sparked by an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan — an allegation Islamabad denied. The Muslim-majority region has been contested since 1947, with India and Pakistan fighting multiple wars and skirmishes over its control. Photo by Imniazi001, Wikimedia commons.