DESCRIBING ‘Marka-e-Haq’ (Battle of Truth) of last year as just one episode, Pakistan defence forces have declared in unequivocal terms that the country was fully prepared to respond to any challenge thrown by the enemy.
At a press briefing along with Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Projects) Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations Lt. General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhary that the world witnessed only 10% of Pakistan’s military power during conflict with India in May last year and it has much more to give a surprise to any aggressor.
The briefing beamed a chilling message across the eastern border as it not only highlighted strategic consequences of the Battle of Truth but also dilated upon the military capabilities of the defence forces of Pakistan. It is a matter of pride for every Pakistani as well as well-wisher of the country that its military capabilities included surface-to-air missiles, cruise missiles, the establishment of Army Rocket Force Command, main battle tanks, long-range artillery, ship-launched anti-ship missiles, UAVs, quadcopters and drones, short, medium and long-range anti-drone systems, loitering munitions, electro-optical satellites and an integrated artillery fire control system. And more importantly these were not just inventories but professional excellence as displayed by the defence forces during a war imposed by a power-drunk neighbour. India always miscalculated Pakistan’s conventional power and hurled frequent threats in a bid to browbeat Islamabad. However, the thrashing it received after its invasion of Pakistan, baffled Indian leadership and armed forces as their pride in conventional superiority was dashed to the ground. ‘Marka-e-Haq’ also proved Pakistan’s potential and resilience to combat multifaceted challenges and that there was no space for war between two geographically contiguous nuclear states. It also proved that Pakistan was recognized as a geopolitically significant and responsible middle power and that there was unshakable synergy between the people, the government and the defence forces. It is because of the consequences of the short war that transformed the entire strategic landscape of the region with the international community no longer giving any worthwhile importance to the Indian viewpoint on issues like regional security and terrorism and Pakistan has emerged as a net security stabilizer and a champion of peace. In fact, India’s covert and overt support to Afghanistan in a bid to terrorize Pakistan and its option of water terrorism against Pakistan has unmasked New Delhi’s real face. The international community, as a consequence of ‘Marka-e-Haq’, came to know and now fully understands that Pakistan — as alleged by Indians over a period of time — is not a perpetrator but a victim of Indian-sponsored terrorism. India’s total failure to portray the Pahalgam false flag operation as an incident of terrorism sponsored by Pakistan also exposed India’s real designs. Pakistan’s diplomatic offensive also put India into a defensive position and as a result it stands diplomatically isolated and neglected. The way the Indian Government and Establishment misused their media during the war has brought shame to Indian media as its credibility fell flat on the ground. Another consequence of the war, as pointed out by the military spokesperson, was the “transformed character of warfare,” noting that this covered multi-domain operations, non-contact warfare, synergy, proxies and information. He explained that warfare is not limited to borders any more, adding that it is fought on land, at sea, in the air, in cyberspace and it is cognitive as well. It is all the more important to note that there was complete clarity on the nature of the response to Indian aggression as the political leadership of the country took a courageous decision to teach a lesson to the aggressor and the defence forces came up to the expectations of the nation. The Government and the defence forces received complete support of the nation and Pakistani media played a significant role in putting across the country’s just narrative and countering false propaganda of the enemy. There is no doubt that Pakistan excelled in the May War but it is all the more important to remain vigilant and prepare for any future misadventure. In this backdrop, it was heartening to hear from Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Projects) Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi that the PAF leadership was already preparing for the next war, aggressively pursuing capability enhancement to retain its qualitative edge whenever it is put to test next time. Right now, he said that 160 projects are under development and many of them are near completion and very soon would be contributing to the war-fighting capabilities of the PAF in particular and the defence forces of Pakistan in general. We hope similar projects might have been prepared by the Pakistan Army and Navy keeping in view modern concepts and practices of warfare.
