Pakistan has announced the creation of a new Army Rocket Force, billed as a significant step in bolstering its combat capabilities, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used the occasion to celebrate what he described as a “major victory” over India in May’s brief but fierce military confrontation.
Speaking at an Independence Day event in Islamabad late on Thursday, Sharif called the Army Rocket Force Command “a key milestone in the advancement of the country’s military response capability.” He did not reveal details about the size, weaponry, or deployment plans for the new unit.
The move appears to draw inspiration from China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, which controls an extensive arsenal of land-based ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles, both nuclear and conventional. President Asif Ali Zardari, the three services chiefs, and several foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony.
Sharif used his address to frame the four-day confrontation with India in early May as a defining moment. “In just four days, India’s arrogance was shattered,” he declared, crediting Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent as a strategic necessity against its neighbour’s atomic power.
India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which left 26 civilians dead. Pakistan responded with drone and missile strikes. Hostilities ceased on May 10 after both countries reached an understanding to end the exchange.
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While India maintains that the cessation of hostilities was secured through direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), Sharif credited the intervention of US President Donald Trump for “facilitating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.”
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s call for a resolution of the Kashmir issue “in accordance with UN resolutions” and thanked China, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, the UAE, and Iran for backing Islamabad’s position during the conflict.
He also urged political parties, civil society, and stakeholders to unite behind a “charter” aimed at safeguarding the national interest, a framework he described as extending beyond economic revival.
Highlighting his government’s economic record, Sharif claimed that inflation had fallen from 34 per cent to 5 per cent and the interest rate from 21 per cent to 11 per cent. He further said Pakistan had “made unmatched sacrifices” in the fight against terrorism, losing 90,000 lives and suffering over USD 150 billion in economic damage.
The announcement of the Army Rocket Force marks a significant military development in a region where missile capability is closely tied to strategic deterrence. Analysts note that such a force, if structured on the Chinese model, could allow Pakistan to rapidly upgrade its missile readiness and diversify its strike options.
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