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Pakistan will establish a dedicated Army Rocket Force to oversee its missile combat capabilities in conventional warfare – a move widely seen as aimed at matching India’s growing military prowess. Pakistan will become the 6th country to officially announce a dedicated Rocket Force – joining China, India, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the new command during Pakistan’s central Independence Day ceremony in Islamabad on Wednesday, marking the eve of the nation’s 79th year of independence. He said the force would strengthen Pakistan’s conventional warfighting capacity and complement its strategic deterrence posture.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s position as the world’s seventh nuclear power – and the only Islamic nation with nuclear capability – Sharif also unveiled a symbolic digital memorial titled Battle for Truth. The memorial features five niches representing the country’s core defence domains: Army, Air Force, Navy, Cyber, and Space. The Army Rocket Force is expected to integrate with these domains under a unified strategic framework.
“This force, capable of targeting the enemy from all directions, will be another milestone in further strengthening our conventional war capability,” Sharif said in a televised address on Thursday. “It will be equipped with modern technology.”
According to a senior security official, the Rocket Force will have its own command within the military, dedicated to the deployment and operational control of missiles in any future conventional conflict. “It is obvious that it is meant for India,” the official remarked.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of rising Indo-Pak tensions. Relations deteriorated sharply in April following the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam – an attack New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. The incident triggered Operation Sindoor in May, further straining ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Team BharatShakti
