Pakistan Army and Air Force Chiefs Visit Jacobabad Air Base and history is made when Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman were also flown in two Block 52 Lockheed Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon fighters of PAF in a formation flight.
February 14, 2012
April 7, 2010
My Heart Swells With Pride For PAF
PAF displays awesome firepower, aerobatics
THAL RANGE (Jhang), April 6: A spectacular firepower demonstration by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) here on Tuesday marked the culmination of the first phase of the largest war games, High mark 2010, conducted by the air force since 1989, which covered the entire country.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was the chief guest at the display. He was accompanied by Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid, Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Basheer, members of parliament and diplomats of friendly countries.
The event, which aimed to demonstrate the operational and tactical capabilities of the air force as well as its levels of preparedness included far more than the traditional display of air acrobatics, speeding planes and aircraft dropping the national flags and welcomes notes.
Beginning with two speeding mirage aircraft which crossed the sound barrier, the more dramatic spectacles were provided by the bombing raids carried out by the PAF’s various aircraft.
Hence, F-16 and JF-17 thunder aircraft carried out bombing raids, at different speeds and heights, and with different weapons payloads.
For instance, the two F-16 flew at a height of 250km and at a speed of 480 knots to drop 84 bombs of 2000 pounds at designated targets.
In a similar vein, a counter-terrorism exercise was carried out in which air force and army paratroopers were dropped from air to raid a ‘hideout’ of militants.
However, what generated even more interest were the segments which displayed the air force’s newly acquired technology and weapons. These included the mid-air fuelling of two mirage aircraft by the newly acquired refueller, which the PAF has bought from Ukraine, and the first public display of a new long-range precision guided missile.
The air force also used the occasion to display its SAAB Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system. This will allow the PAF to detect all aircraft taking off from and landing at the Indian airbases close to Pakistan.
More important still, the system is capable of identifying the type of aircraft, the weapons systems they are equipped with and even the altitude they are operating at.
The system will enable the military to have advance intimation in case of a move for pre-emptive or surprise attack from across the border.
Speaking on the occasion Prime Minister Gilani said he was aware of the pressing requirements of the armed forces, especially the air force which needed extra funds for new inductions and further upgrades. “I realise that this is necessary to maintain the edge of the air force, which is the pride of the nation,” he remarked.
He added that it was Pakistan’s desire to live peacefully and honourably in a stable environment. “We, however, need to test our defensive capabilities. High Mark-2010 is an opportunity to do so.”
The prime minister acknowledged that the challenges facing Pakistan were shaped by and had to be viewed in the context of destabilising international events. “These transform the global as well as regional security environment in South Asia.”
He said that despite the many external and internal challenges, Pakistan had slowly but steadily negotiated the pitfalls, and made a mark on the international scene.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman also spoke on the issue.
He explained that the second phase of the High Mark 2010 would commence on Wednesday, during which all three services -– army, air force and the navy -– would conduct joint counter-insurgency operations.
March 4, 2010
Pakistan Gets Laser Guided Bombs
The US Air Force plans to deliver 1,000 laser-guided bomb kits to Pakistan this month to help Islamabad in its offensive against militants on the Afghan border, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The Air Force is providing the kits after having delivered 1,000 MK-82 bombs last month to Pakistan’s military, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffry Glenn told AFP.
The US military assistance underscored Washington’s role in backing Pakistan’s months-long campaign against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.
The Pakistani air force was playing “a big part” in operations against the extremists, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said.
“As they had ramped up operations, they’re looking for ways to get additional capability,” he told a gathering of defence reporters.
Pakistan’s air force chief had visited Washington last year and made additional requests for US military assistance, he said.
Donley said the Pentagon had arranged for “expedited” delivery of the MK-82 bombs, which weigh 500 pounds each.
The United States also was due to deliver 18 additional F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in June, outfitted with sophisticated night-vision equipment, Glenn said.
Confirmation of the arms deal came as Pakistan on Tuesday revealed a vast Taliban and Al-Qaeda hideout dug into mountains near the Afghan border, captured in an offensive against militants.
October 20, 2009
Is India pulling the strings behind Kerry-Lugar debate?
Part 1 of a series
“So will I turn her virtue into pitch,
And out of her own goodness make the net
That shall enmesh them all.”
Othello, Act II Scene III
As the fight about the Kerry-Lugar bill continues, one question remains unanswered: Who is behind this bitter controversy? Accusations have been thrown from every direction, but little attention has been paid to the role of Indian manipulation. And so the question remains:
Are Indian agents manipulating the debate that threatens to tear our nation apart?
When considering a legal case, courts will ask ‘”Cui Bono?” – Latin for “Who benefits?”. If we apply the same logic to the Kerry-Lugar fight, we might ask who would benefit most from Pakistan rejecting the Kerry-Lugar bill. The obvious beneficiary is India.
The loudest voices attacking the Kerry-Lugar bill have no problem with the unprecedented $1.5 billion in non-military aid to Pakistan every year for the next five years. That Pakistan needs the aid is not in question. The outcry was caused, rather, by the conditions on Pakistan’s military imposed by the bill.
As noted by the Wall Street Journal, however, these conditions were very irregular and they had the fingerprints of the Indian lobby all over them. Surely, India’s powerful lobby knew that by placing these conditions in the bill, they would incite the anger of Pakistan’s nationalists, preventing the aid from reaching Pakistan.
But there is another, more sinister, purpose behind India’s manipulation of Kerry-Lugar – driving a wedge between Washington and Islamabad so that Pakistan is cut-off from the world.
Certainly the Indians would be glad to see Pakistan bankrupt. But this is not their only end. Rather, their purpose seems to have been to drive a wedge of anger and distrust between Pakistan and the United States while cozying up to Washington, DC themselves to ensure that India gets both a nuclear deal and also billions of dollars in American investment.
India has spent decades courting the Americans, trying to embed themselves with Washington in the same was Israel has – proclaiming that they are they only modern nation in the region, the rest being backwards nations with no respect for the international community. India would like nothing better than for Pakistan to be as impotent as the Arab nations in their mid-east controversy, all but locked out of the halls of power despite their billions of dollars in oil wealth.
But India has yet to succeed in completing their plan to isolate Pakistan. Indeed, over the past several months, relations between Pakistan and the USA have grown warmer than they have ever been. This creates a serious risk for India’s plan to dominate South Asia. If Pakistan succeeds in building trust with the Americans, we will have access to the military hardware and access to markets that ensure our ability to defend ourselves and grow our economy.
Is it any wonder that the Indian lobby timed the Kerry-Lugar debate at the exact moment the US was delivering Pakistan’s first F-16 fighters with night-vision technology?
The fight over Kerry-Lugar caught the Americans completely off guard. Anyone who watched the press conference with Minister Qureshi and American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could see that Mrs. Clinton was clearly surprised by the uproar. The Wall Street Journal condemned the American Congress for being so diplomatically tone-deaf, but that is beside the point. It was clear that the Americans had been manipulated by the Indian lobbyists.
As a result, the American Senator John Kerry and his colleague House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Howard Berman issued a Joint Explanatory Statement to state very clearly that there are no conditions on Pakistan, and that the bill was intended as a gesture of friendship.
The Indian Embassy must have roared with laughter as they watched their drama unfolding.
Here are the Americans offering Pakistan more in aid and investment than India has ever received. After decades of Pakistani leaders like Nawaz Sharif, Pervez Musharraf coming to American with hat in hand and receiving crumbs, the Americans begin to open up their arms to Islamabad and treat Pakistan as a brother. Only through cunning manipulation could this result in the Americans and Pakistanis turning their backs in distrust.
There is no question that India has been behind this controversy.
It is quite clear who stands to benefit from a new era of suspicion and distrust between the Americans and Islamabad. Only India would gain from an isolated and increasingly instable Pakistan, cut off from military supplies and foreign markets. Their games are diabolical, and they must be stopped.
In the next part of the series, we’re going to look at the different players in the Kerry-Lugar debate. We will examine who is inadvertently or intentionally acting as an Indian agent.