Last Updated:August 14, 2025, 16:44 IST
The announcement made during Independence Day celebrations in Islamabad came after a radar and air defence installation in Lahore was "neutralised” during Operation Sindoor.

On Independence Day, Sharif unveils Rocket Force Command after Indian strikes crippled key radar and air defence sites. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
Pakistan has announced the formation of a new military unit, the Rocket Force Command, aimed at overseeing and enhancing its missile capabilities. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif unveiled this development during an Independence Day ceremony in Islamabad on Thursday.
The announcement comes months after a conflict with India where it suffered losses after Pakistan Army intervened on behalf of terrorists that Indian forces were targeting for carrying out an attack on civilians in Pahalgam under counter-terror operation Operation Sindoor.
The move to strengthen Pakistan’s missile capabilities came after Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets took out radar installations in Pasrur and Chunian, damaged Arifwala and the Sialkot aviation base, rendered Rahim Yar Khan airbase non-operational for a while and also neutralising a radar and air defence installation in Lahore, which blinded portions of Pakistan’s central airspace coverage, during the conflict.
Shehbaz Sharif said that the new military unit would be “equipped with modern technology".
“It will improve our conventional war capabilities," Sharif was quoted as saying by the news agency AFP.
Islamabad is boosting its military capabilities following the conflict, increasing defence spending by 20 percent in the current budget that was passed in June.
The government also announced that it was in discussions to acquire 40 new Chinese fighter jets and new air defence systems.
Sharif amped up the war rhetoric, claiming that the new unit is “capable of striking the enemy from all directions".
Earlier, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir at an event in Florida’s Tampa said that it will take half the world down with it and threatened nuclear war in a brazen anti-India rant.
Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also war mongered earlier this week claiming Pakistan is ready to fight a war for river waters after India held the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance for Pakistan’s continuous state support for terrorism.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev...
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view commentsLocation :Islamabad, Pakistan
First Published:August 14, 2025, 16:44 IST
News world Rocket Force Command: Following Op Sindoor, Pakistan Scrambles To Boost Missile Capabilites
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