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Dear visitor,
                   I am the writer of this blog. There is no writer other than me on this blog. I am a student of F.Sc 2nd year in Superior Group of Colleges ( Multan Branch ) . In college my pre-board papers are just going to start. After these pre-board papers my annual examination of board are also going to held. I have to clear many concepts so I will to work hard. That is the reason I can not concentrate on my blog. Sorry for that but I am not able to publish posts till end of next month. After 26 of May this blog will start again with high quality post and with much new categories. Categories will include wallpapers etc. These wallpapers will be of military and totally exlcusive by me. I hope you will not mind it. Ok now Allah Hafiz till end of next month.

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Chengdu J-10 Information

Introduction:
After decades of purchasing Russian aircraft and weaponry to close the gap in aerospace technology, China has decided to participate in its own fighter jet programme. The programme began in 1984 and later when revealed in 2002, it became the aircraft known now as the J-10. The J-10 was developed by 611 Aircraft Design Institute and built by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation The J-10 shows many similarities with the cancelled Israeli prototype Lavi and reports show that the Chinese could have very possibly purchased the Lavi designs from Israel. Nonetheless, the J-10 is claimed to be an indigenious product, designed by Chinese designers and for the PLAAF. The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) expects 300 J-10, in single and two seats, to be built.

Specifications:

General Characteristics 

Crew: 1
* Length: 14.57 m (47.86 ft)
* Wingspan: 8.78 m (28.75 ft)
* Height: 4.80 m (15.75 ft)
* Wing area: 33.00 m² (355.2 ft²)
* Empty weight: 9,750 kg (21,500 lb) (some sources say 6,940 kg (15,300 lb))
* Useful load: 4,500 kg (9 920 lb)
* Maximum gross takeoff weight: 18,400 kg (40,565 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× Lyulka-Saturn AL-31FN turbofan, rated at 79.43 kN dry, 122.58 kN with afterburning (17,857 lbf, 27,557 lbf)

Performance

Maximum speed: Mach 1.2 at sea level; Mach 2.0 at altitude (1470 km/h, 913.4 mph; 2450 km/h, 1522 mph)
* g-Limits: +9/-3 g (+88/-29 m/s², +290/-97 ft/s²)
* Range:
o Combat radius: 550 km (300 nm, 340 mi)
o Maximum range: 1,850 km (1,000 nm, 1,150 mi)
* Service ceiling: 18,000 m (59,055 ft)
* Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
* Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
* Thrust/weight: at least 1:1

Armanent

Guns: 1× 23 mm internal cannon
* Hardpoints: 11, 3 under each wing and 5 under the fuselage
* Missiles:
o Air-to-air: PL-8, PL-11, PL-12, R-73, R-77
o Air-to-surface: YJ-9, YJ-9K
* Bombs: laser-guided bombs, unguided bombs

Design:

The J-10 is a single-seat, delta winged aircraft powered by a single, Russian-designed AL-31FN turbofan (maximum static power output of 12,500 kgf (123 kN, 27,600 lbf)). The airframe possesses a large vertical tail, as well as canards placed near the cockpit. The air intake is rectangular in shape, and is located beneath the fuselage. Construction likely incorporates much use of composite materials, as well as more conventional metals. Performance is generally speculated to be within the class of a late-model F-16, although maneuverability is thought to be superior (possibly within the range of some early fifth generation Western fighters). A bubble canopy provides 360 degrees of visual coverage for the pilot.

It was reported in November 2005 that a first batch of AL-31FN thrust vectoring engines had already been received from Russia for use in J-10s. A second batch was supposed to arrive later that year, and the rest would arrive by mid-2006. On 9 January 2006, it was claimed that these new engines were actually termed AL-31FN M1, and would be used in a new advanced version of the J-10 called the "Super-10". Regardless of how they are eventually used, thrust vectoring will boost the J-10's maneuverability.

Avonics:

A digital, quadruplex fly-by-wire system aids the pilot in flying the aircraft. Information is provided visually to the pilot, in the form of three liquid crystal Multi-Functional Displays within the cockpit. Western-style HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) controls are incorporated in the J-10's design.

The radar type equipping the J-10 is not yet known; possible candidates include the Russian RP-35, the Israeli EL/M-2035, the Italian Grifo 2000 and the domestic JL-10A. A comprehensive Electronic countermeasures (ECM) package is likely to be present, including active jammers.

Note: As of 2005, the JL-10A fire control radar has been incorporated into the JH-7A (JH-7, the evaluation batch, uses Type 232H FCR). Some evidence suggests that a derivative of the Type 1421 on later J-8 models has been selected. This could be the KLJ-3 FCR.

Power Plant:
The initial low-rate production J-10s are powered by the 27,500lb-thrust (120kN) Russian Lyulka-Saturn AL-31F turbofan rated at 17,857 lb (79.43 kN) dry and 27,557 lb st (122.58 kN) with afterburning. The same powerplant is also being used by Chinese air force's Su-27s and Su-30s. Lyulka-Saturn reportedly delivered 54 AL-31F turbofan engines to China between 2002 and 2004. These are the AL-31FN model with special modifications to be fitted in the J-10.

China is also developing its own WS-10A turbofan powerplant, and it could be fitted on the later versions of the J-10. An all-aspect vectored-thrust version of the AL-31F was revealed for the first time at Zhuhai Air Show 1998, leading to speculation that this advanced engine may wind up on the J-10, potentially conferring phenomenal manoeuvrability.

Weaponary:
The fixed weapon on the J-10 is a 23mm internal cannon. The aircraft also has 11 stores stations - six under the wing and five under the fuselage. The inner wing and centre fuselage stations are plumped to carry external fuel tanks. Fixed weapon is a 23-mm inner cannon hidden inside fuselage.

In addition to the PL-8 short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile reportedly derived from Israeli Rafael Python-3 technology, the J-10 could also carry Russian Vympel R-73 (AA-11) short-range and R-77 (AA-12) medium-range missiles equipped by Chinese Flankers. It may also be fitted with indigenously developed PL-11 or PL-12 medium-range AAM for BVR combat.

For ground attack missions, the J-10 will carry laser-guided bombs, YJ-8K anti-ship missile, as well as various unguided bombs and rockets. Some missiles currently under development such as the YJ-9 ramjet-powered anti-radiation missile may also be carried by the J-10.

Engine:

The Lyulka-Saturn Al-31 turbojet is the main Russian engine for modern fighter aircraft. Numerous modifications of the Al-31 have been produced, including the world's first supersonic jet engine with a thrust-vectoring nozzle. Various versions of this engine are used on Su-27, Su-27SK, Su-27UBK, Su-30MKK produced for China's PLAAF, Su-30MKI produced for the Indian Air Force and other fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft. The Al-31FN - a development of the Al-31F - was created in 1992-1994 and features increased thrust, fadec control with hydraulic fuel pressure-activated back-up and significantly improved fuel economy. The Al-31FN is used on Su-32 (Su-27IB), Su-27SM (Su-35) and Su-32FN permitting these aircraft to have a maximum range of well over 4,000 km on internal fuel. The initial delivery of Al-31FN engines to China took place in 2001-2002 and numbered some 54 non-thrust-vectoring engines. China's CEC is also believed to have successfully negotiated with Russia license production of Al-31 engines. Later models of the J-10 are likely to use the thrust-vectoring version of the Al-31FN.


The Al-31-series engines proved to be reliable, relatively simple to maintain and offering great performance. Design work on the Al-31 begun in 1963 and the first prototype of the engine was tested in 1974. In 1986 a P-42 (modified Su-27 prototype) powered by two Al-31F engines set 32 time-to-height records. Recent computer simulations conducted by the US Air Force and Boeing showed that an Al-31FP-equipped Su-30MK outperformed the F-15C in a diverse range of engagements. A basic comparison of the Al-31FN (developed in 1992-1994) and the F100-PW-232 (the ultimate version of the Pratt & Whitney F100 developed in 1999-2001 and designed to be retrofitted to the F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft) reveals that the Russian engine provides near-identical performance while being more than 300 kg lighter (not to mention substantially less expensive). The next generation of Russian turbofan engines - the Al-41 - offers a dramatic increase in power and reliability. The Al-41 is currently being tested on Su-47, MiG MFI and Su-32FN. The Al-41F is planned as the future engine for the LFI project.

Programme History:

The program was conceived in the early 1980s, to counter new fourth generation fighters then being introduced by the USSR (namely, the MiG-29 and Su-27). Initially designed as a specialized counter-air fighter, it was later remade into a multirole aircraft capable of both anti-air combat and ground attack missions. It has been argued that the J-10 is based on the now cancelled Israeli Lavi. [1]

Having been designed under much secrecy, many details of the J-10 remain unknown and are subject to much speculation. The first flight of the J-10 took place sometime in 1996, but the program suffered a major delay due to a fatal accident which occurred in 1997. This incident was thought to be the result of errors in the J-10’s fly-by-wire system. A redesigned prototype flew in 1998, resuming flight testing of the aircraft. Service entry into the PLAAF occurred in late 2005.

It was reported by Jane's Defence Weekly on 9 January 2006, that a more advanced version of the J-10 is planned, "referred to as the Super-10, with a more powerful engine, thrust-vector control, stronger airframe and passive phased-array radar." [2]

So far the J-10 has been offered only to Pakistan for export as F-10. The President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, was shown the secret J-10 & JF-17 production facility in late February 2006. He also sat in the cockpit of both aircraft. On his way back he told the press that he had visited the J-10 production facility and that the Chinese had offered to sell the aircraft to Pakistan. He later said that Pakistan and its air force will certainly consider the offer. On April 12, 2006 the Pakistani cabinet approved the purchase of at least 36 J-10s under the designation "FC-10". Pakistan is the largest importer of Chinese military hardware. Its air force flies over 180 F-7 aircraft made by China. In addition, Pakistan is a 50% partner in the FC-1/JF-17 Thunder and K-8 Karakorum advanced jet trainer projects.

J-10B Fighter Trainer:
The J-10B is the two-seat fighter-trainer variant of the J-10 multirole fighter aircraft. The forward fuselage of the aircraft was stretched to accommodate an additional pilot seat. Two pilots sit in tandem in the two-seat cockpit with one single large bubble canopy. The aircraft also has an enlarged dorsal spine to accommodate additional avionic equipment or fuel. As well as serving as training aircraft, the J-10B may also be used for the ground attack role where the rear seat pilot acts as the weapon operator.

The J-10B development began in 2000 and the aircraft made its maiden flight on 26 December 2003. Flight tests of the aircraft completed in 2005 and the batch production of the aircraft possibly began in 2006.

                                                               Trainer Aircraft Photo
Deployment:

On 10 March 2003, six pre-production single-seater variant J-10s were delivered to the Flight Test & Training Centre, an experimental unit of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) located in Cangzhou, Hebei Province. Carrying serial number 60X8X, these aircraft were used for operational test and evaluation.

In August 2004, the first operational J-10 regiment was formed within the PLAAF 44th Air Division based at Mengzi, Yunnan. The regiment was equipped with about 27 J-10 fighters, including at least one J-10S two-seater fighter-trainer. These aircraft carry serial number 50X5X.

In 2005, the second operational J-10 regiment was formed within the PLAAF 3rd Air Division based at Wuhu, Anhui Province. The regiment was equipped with 25~30 J-10 fighters in both single-seater and two-seater variants. The serial numbers for these aircraft are 10X4X.

A TV report by the Chinese state media in June 2007 confirmed that the PLAAF 2nd Air Division based at Suixi, Guangdong Province now also has a J-10 regiment, possibly using serial number 10X3X.

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The army's fresh resolve

The Pakistan army's latest major field exercise codenamed Azm-e-Nau-3 (fresh resolve) is due to commence on April 10 and will conclude on May 13, 2010. This is the largest field exercise since the highly acclaimed Zarb-e-Momin of 1989, which field tested and validated the fresh concept of an "offensive defence" strategy. It had come as a sequel to Indian Army Chief General Sunderjee's highly ambitious "Operation Brasstacks". So a vital objective then was to send India a clear message: "Should it ever embark upon aggression against Pakistan, its army will hit back aggressively carrying the war into the enemy's territory."
About 21 years down the line, having acquired state-of-the-art military hardware, developed a sound employment policy and taking cognisance of the paradigm shift in the strategic thinking of the enemy, Azm-e-Nau is the culmination of a long process of planning, deliberating, and evolving a concept of warfare that is mindful of the entire gamut of emerging threats. The exercise is being conducted in the backdrop of Pakistan's ongoing COIN (counter insurgency) operations, where the army is playing a major role and has won international acclaim for its efforts and success. The war that was thrust upon Pakistan, in the aftermath of 9/11, forced the army to evolve a new strategy in order to combat the faceless enemy.
In 1988, while undergoing the joint services staff course, we had visited Germany for a study tour. The high point of the visit was to witness an exercise at the Hammelburg's School of Infantry, Bavarian district, by the German mechanised infantry in combating insurgency and conducting operations in an urban backdrop. The well planned and meticulously conducted exercise, executed with pinpoint precision won accolades from us and other international visitors. Little did I realise that 20 years later, our own armed forces would be involved in combating a mysterious enemy that targets mosques, schools and state institutions, besides maiming and killing women and children. The war against insurgency being fought by the Pakistan army through its blood, sweat and guts has no parallels in either modern or ancient warfare. However, Pakistan's COIN Ops are not against guerrilla operations or insurgency in its classic sense, nor is it fighting a war against resistance, but against an adversary that is armed, trained and abetted by Pakistan's traditional enemies, who are trying to destabilise it.
It is noteworthy that Pakistan Army follows a biennial training system, where training objectives set forth are achieved over a span of two years. The training remains mission-oriented based on the prevailing security environment, which is methodical and progressive; culminating into Map Exercise, War Games or Field Exercises at various levels of command. Under General Kayani, who has declared the year 2009-10 as "the year of training", Azm-e-Nau would be a befitting finale to the comprehensive and also a realistic training package - conceptualised, formulated and validated during the "year of training".

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Pakistan Weighs Changes to Revise Constitution

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s Parliament opened debate on Tuesday on a set of amendments intended to refurbish the Constitution after decades of distortions inflicted by a series of military autocrats.

The changes were widely heralded here as important step toward improving the long-term health of the country’s beleaguered democracy. But they also threatened to open a new chapter of instability for the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, as they strip away his powers and leave him more vulnerable to challenges from the opposition.

The changes, which are expected to pass this month, represent a rare moment of consensus in Pakistan’s fractious politics. Representatives from 14 political parties, led by a member of Mr. Zardari’s party, spent 10 months preparing 102 amendments.

On paper, the changes restore the country’s democracy to its original form — a parliamentary system run by a prime minister — and undo the accumulated powers that the country’s military autocrats had vested in the presidency.

But this is Pakistan — a chaotic, 62-year-old country, where no elected government has ever lasted a full term and the rule of law is often up for grabs — and it is far from certain that in practice the new laws will be respected.

For the United States, the changes mean two conflicting things. Over the long run, they could lift Pakistan’s prospects to have stronger, more effective civilian governments, something the Obama administration has said it wants.

But short-term security interests have trumped even the best of intentions throughout the history of American-Pakistani relations, and the urge to default to dealing with the military, an effective, if bossy, institution, is likely to remain strong.

Many argue that this is already happening. Military leaders have had their way in defining Pakistan’s relationships with the United States and India, and they dismissed Mr. Zardari’s attempts to place the powerful military spy agency under civilian control. Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, took center stage in a high-level meeting in Washington last month and led a meeting of federal officials before leaving for the United States, a first in Pakistan’s history.

“Power has moved from Islamabad to Rawalpindi,” said Farrukh Saleem, a columnist for The News, an English-language daily, referring to the country’s capital and the city its army calls home. “The civilians may be in power, but they don’t really control much.”

In theory, the changes would set into motion a reorganization of power that could start to alter that situation. The president will lose the controversial ability to dissolve Parliament, a 1980s-era weapon that has long been used by warring political parties, egged on by the military, to destroy rival governments. The president would move closer to figurehead status, and the prime minister would get new powers.

While that is healthy over the long run, in the short term it raises questions about the viability of the government under Mr. Zardari, whose party, the Pakistan Peoples Party, or P.P.P., currently has the largest number of seats in Parliament.

The changes could provide an opening to Mr. Zardari’s most serious opponent, Nawaz Sharif, a metals industry magnate, by allowing him to become prime minister once again.

“The road is now clear for Nawaz Sharif to generate instability by demanding midterm elections,” said Najam Sethi, editor in chief of The Friday Times, a weekly.

A telling sign, he said, was Mr. Sharif’s snubbing of a national ceremony held in Parliament for the package of changes on Monday. “This indicates his intention to start picking holes in the amendment and government quickly,” Mr. Sethi said.

Mr. Zardari’s supporters argue that by divesting his powers, Mr. Zardari is fulfilling a promise he made two years ago when he became president and that the step will deprive his enemies in politics, the military and the media of ammunition against him.

For the time being at least, although many of his powers will be shifted to the prime minister, the man who holds that post, Yousaf Raza Gilani, is part of the political party Mr. Zardari controls and is unlikely to challenge him. In Pakistan, party leaders wield immense power, as they control who gets to run on the party ticket, a huge advantage for provincial politicians.

“He is a very unpopular figure, but he is the source of power in the P.P.P., and institutionally, the prime minister will have to answer to him,” said Rasul B. Rais, a professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

One of the most serious long-term implications of the changes, analysts said, would be a shift in power in favor of the provinces. After decades of being run from Islamabad, provinces will eventually have the right to legislate, to control their own education programs and significantly more of their finances, among other things, a difficult retooling that could lead to even more instability if it is not handled delicately.

Still, Hasan-Askari Rizvi, an analyst in Lahore, said he believed that the changes improved the prospects for Pakistan’s shaky democracy, if for no other reason than after years of narrow, partisan squabbling, politicians actually came together over something important.

“Pakistani politicians have actually agreed on something,” Mr. Rizvi said. “They are not in the habit of agreeing on anything.”

But few see the changes as likely to improve Mr. Zardari’s unpopular standing among Pakistanis, who are too mired in the economic woes of joblessness and inflation to care much about constitutional tinkering.

“It will have implications within the media and the political class,” said Cyril Almeida, a columnist for Dawn, a daily newspaper. “But is it a vote getter? I don’t think so.”

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Indian Army to conduct desert exercise this month

New Delhi, April 5 – Barely a month after the Indian Air Force displayed its awesome combat capabilities, the Indian Army is gearing up for its month-long ‘Yudh Shakti’ exercise in Rajasthan from mid-April involving 5,000 troops from the the mechanised forces, the armoured corps and the artillery.

The war games will be conducted by the Mathura-based 1 Corps, one of the army’s key ’strike’ formations. The mobilisation of troops for the exercise has already begun.


‘Around 5,000 troops are participating in the exercise, which will begin in mid-April. It is a month-long exercise and its key element will be the mechanised forces,’ army sources told IANS.


‘The exercise is aimed at validating the acquisitions of modern equipment, enhancing night vision capabilities and achieving battlefield dominance,’ the sources added.


Apart from the mechanised forces, T-90 and T-72 main battle tanks and an array of artillery guns, as also infantry battalions, will feature in the exercise.


‘The air force element could be involved in the last part of the exercise,’ said an official.


The exercise is in accordance with the Indian Army’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine that involves rapid mobilisation in case hostilites seem imminent.


The Pakistan Army is also conducting a field exercise, Azm-e-Nau-3, on its side of the border April 10-May 13. The exercise involves troops belonging to all arms and services and will also be participated in by the Pakistan Air Force.

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Pak challenging events: 2008 to early 2010

Asif Haroon Raja


When Pak Army troops moved into South Waziristan in 2002 for the first time at the behest of Washington to hunt and flush out foreign elements, it offended the militant tribesmen living peacefully and they decided to confront the Army. The ensuing clash led to organized resistance resulting in inflaming all seven agencies of FATA, greater part of NWFP and even Punjab. Balochistan was also lit up by sowing seeds of separatism among the Baloch. Pak Army thus got engaged in fighting its own people and both sides started to bleed each other as a result of which centre of gravity of terrorism shifted from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

Hundreds of terrorist attacks, suicide and bomb attacks have taken place resulting in phenomenal human and material losses. Fighting US dictated war on terror made Musharraf popular in USA, western world and India but he became unpopular in Pakistan since he was seen as a puppet of Bush. This factor together with lawyers’ movement paved the way for his expulsion from power. One big favour he bestowed upon Pakistan was to hand over Army Chief’s hat to Gen Ashfaq Kayani.

Different people proudly lay claim on ouster of Gen Musharraf. Some say it was lawyers’ movement which forced him to quit while others maintain that it was defiance of chief justice Iftikhar which set the ball rolling. PPP claim that sagacity and adroitness of Benazir forced him to shed his second hat of army chief and to announce elections. Others say that it was Zardari who played his cards shrewdly to make him abdicate power. Notwithstanding the genuineness of these claims since each one did play a part in weakening the dictator, the fact of the matter is that the US played a role in his elevation to the rank of COAS. He also captured total power with tacit blessing of US. He remained in power for nine years since he served the American interests faithfully. He could have easily continued to stay in power for another five years if the US had not lost interest in him after he became reluctant and less obliging to fulfill certain sensitive demands of USA which tended to cross the red line.

He was with them as long as the war was confined to terrorists and extremists. When he realized that the US was more friendly with India and was giving very less and demanding much more and had sinister designs against core interests of Pakistan he became cautious. When pressed to open up nuclear program for IAEA inspection, hand over Dr. AQ Khan for interrogation and rollback nuclear program he regretted that it was not within his capability to oblige. He knew that it could not only compromise the position of Army leadership but also evoke public wrath. He took effective measures to defang AQ Khan Network and to safeguard nuclear assets. He avoided going full hog against extremists in FATA and Swat and believed in policy of peace deals.

When he was asked to stop military operation in Balochistan, cancel Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project, oust China from Gwadar development, and shift bulk of troops towards western border, he started to drag his feet to buy time. He expressed his inability to meet their requirements under the plea of strong backlash within armed forces and cautioned them that it would make his position untenable. Earlier on, he had expressed his reluctance to allow Benazir to return to Pakistan but gave in to US demand only when he came under increasing pressure of lawyers’ movement. He was therefore forced by circumstances to team up with Benazir to fill the political void and jointly perform the final act of denuclearization and de-Islamisation of Pakistan . To the horror of plot makers, they found Benazir on whom they had hinged high hopes playing a shrewd game. A sudden change had come in her disposition once she landed at Karachi airport on 18 October 2007 and saw unprecedented rousing reception accorded to her by her fans. The tears she shed were genuine. Whatever understanding she had given to her sponsors during her exile were set aside after the gory blasts in her caravan on the same night in which hundreds of Jyalas were cut to pieces. The schemers had planned the attack with the objective of swaying public opinion against the Taliban and build sympathy for her but it backfired since she learnt that the blasts, claimed as suicide attacks, were not executed by Baitullah’s men.

She cooked her goose when she locked horns with Musharraf in November and raised slogans in favor of deposed chief justice. Return of Sharif brothers from forced exile and assassination of Benazir on 27 December scuttled US plan to carve out a dream team of liberal parties only. Plan Bravo was put into motion and Zardari brought on the centre stage from nowhere to do US bidding. Musharraf was shown the door and Zardari brought in his place. National Assembly was again turned into a rubber stamp and all powers were concentrated in hands of NRO cleansed Zardari and US appointed persons holding key appointments. With his tail firmly in the hands of Washington , he was pressed to do what Musharraf could not do.

The period from 2008 till early 2010 was extremely onerous because of worsening state of security, collapsing economy and messy political situation. The challenging moments were: (1) When the US came out with its wish to place ISI under Ministry of Interior; in other words under direct control of Washington . Its fault was that it had hampered CIA- RAW’s activities. (2) Joint control of nuclear assets so as to determine secret locations of nukes and to take them under control. (3) Pakistan pressured to allow India to carryout surgical strikes on suspected targets inside Pakistan territory after Mumbai carnage and to hand over suspects to India . Air strikes from the east together with drone attacks from the west would have enabled India and USA to destroy nuclear plants. (4) Threat from Indian forces along eastern front, pressures from turbulent western border and resurgent local militants. Multiple external and internal threats posed a serious dilemma to military. (5) Dismissal of Punjab Ministry and imposition of governor rule. Idea was to destabilize the only province which was relatively stable. (6) Reinstatement of deposed judges blocked so as to keep US handpicked rulers in power. (7) Desire by US-NATO troops to barge into FATA and carryout joint operations with Pak troops. As a minimum, carryout air strikes in addition to drone strikes and ground raids. Intention was to gain a toehold and then keep creeping forward. (8) Kerry Lugar Bill, which virtually meant to rob Pakistan of its honor and sovereignty. (9) Settlement of Kashmir dispute on Indian terms. (10) Convincing Pakistan to accept India as a harmless friend posing no threat. (11) Forcing Pak Army to thin out troops from eastern border and launch simultaneous operations in Swat, South and North Waziristan . (12) Confronting foreign aided militants in Malakand Division, Swat and South Waziristan . It would have been catastrophic if these battles had turned into a stalemate. (13) Intense Indo-US-western propaganda to undermine Pakistan .

Much to the chagrin and frustration of plot makers, the Army under Kayani together with air force pilots, ISI under Lt Gen Shuja Pasha, judiciary under Chief Justice Iftikhar, lawyers community, vibrant civil society and independent media came in the way of those inclined to barter away national interests. These institutions blocked each and every menacing move impinging upon national security and managed to take the country out of turbulent waters. Their combined efforts helped in frustrating evil designs of adversaries of Pakistan and in bringing a positive change in the attitudes of US leaders.

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PAF flexes its muscles

By Muhammad Anis

ISLAMABAD: The awesome Firepower Demonstration-2010 by jet fighters marked the end of first phase of Highmark-2010 countrywide exercises at the PAF firing range Thal near Jhang on Tuesday.

It was the biggest firepower demonstration since the 1989 show in Somiani near Karachi. Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nouman Basheer, members of the Senate and the National Assembly standing committees on defence and attaches of friendly countries based in Islamabad also watched the demonstration.

The event reflected the high level of operational and tactical preparedness by PAF pilots which started with a deafening sound of sonic boom by two mirage aircraft crossing the sound barrier (flying with speed faster than sound).

The highlights of the demonstration were simultaneous re-fuelling of two mirage aircraft by the IL-78 mid-air refueller recently acquired from Ukraine while maintaining a measurable distance, stunning hitting of target by off-long range precision guided missile dropped from a fighter aircraft from 60 kilometres distance, an F-16 aircraft flying at an ultra-low altitude releasing chaff and flares to deceive the perceived enemy dropped two mark 2,000 pound bombs at the target, two A-5 aircraft with one carrying the national flag and the other a welcome banner.

Four JF-17 thunder aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, dropped weapons at 1,900 feet, targeting the mock hideouts of militants. A Mirage aircraft flying at extremely low 200 feet, dropped its weapons at the targets, while two F-16 aircrafts leased two mark 84 bombs of 2,000 pounds, at the targets. Four Mirage of the Night Hawks squadron, capable of low-level penetration dropped 5,000 pounds bombs with an element of surprise for the enemy by accomplishing the task in minimum possible time, generating a thunder leaving behind flames and smoke.

The PAF also demonstrated the SAAB Early Warning and Control AEW&C system. The ERIEYE radar system mounted on the turboprop aircraft not only enables the PAF to detect all aircraft taking off and landing at all Forward Indian airbases adjacent to Pakistan, but also to identify the type of aircraft operating, the weapons systems they are equipped with, the vector they are heading and the altitude they are operating at.

The Special Services Group of Pakistan Army and Special Services Wing of the PAF demonstrated a joint operation and destroyed a conceived hideout of terrorists. The commandos dropped from two helicopters killed most of the conceived terrorists and captured some of them. The fighter jets also assisted the operation with aerial bombing.

“While we strive for peace with honour in a stable environment, I assure all countries in the region that we are a peace-loving nation, with no aggressive designs against anyone. We, however, need to test our defensive capabilities,” Prime Minister Gilani said, while speaking on the occasion. He said High Mark-2010 was one such opportunity to validate joint operational concepts.

Gilani said the Pakistani nation was presently living in turbulent times, as indeed the entire world continued to witness numerous destabilising events. “The challenges that confront us today have to be viewed in the context of these changes, which have shaped the geopolitical landscape of the world,” he said.

He said these changes increase mutual stakes through greater interdependence, they also transform global as well as regional security environment in South Asia. He said despite many external and internal challenges, Pakistan had slowly, but steadily managed to negotiate the pitfalls, and make a mark for itself on the international scene. “I am well aware of the multifaceted challenges faced by our nation while we move ahead to provide solutions, the high state of preparedness of our Armed Forces strengthens our national resolve and confidence,” he added.

“Today’s event not only portrays the true potential of the Pakistan Air Force, but also indicates its superior professionalism, incomparable skills and matchless team work of its air warriors, as well as the vision and planning of its commanders.”

He said he realised that the armed forces, especially the Pakistan Air Force, whose inductions, up-gradations required more funding comparatively. “I also realise that this is a necessity, to maintain the cutting edge of a force, which is the ‘pride of the nation’, and indeed is ‘second to none’,” the prime minister added.

Gilani noted with pleasure that the Pakistan Air Force, despite its heavy commitment in the ongoing counter terrorist operations, and remaining within its own resources, undertook a major Exercise High Mark-2010, which showed that it always remained fully prepared for its missions, role and task.

He appreciated the exemplary commitment, dedication and enthusiasm of PAF personnel, which had made this event possible. He congratulated the chief of the air staff on the successful conclusion of the professional demonstration. “I also deeply commend the devotion of all PAF airmen and civilians involved in the preparation of this mega event,” he added.

Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said the second phase of the High Mark 2010 would commence today (Wednesday) during which joint counter-insurgency operations would be conducted by the three services.

He said new force multipliers had recently been inducted by the PAF and the ongoing exercise was meant to test the true potential of the force and validate precision engagement capabilities as the PAF stepped into a new era of modern warfare.

Online adds: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said the strategic dialogue between Pakistan and the US will yield positive result. “My recent visit to the US was successful. The Pak-US strategic dialogue would yield positive results, he said during his informal talk to media persons at the PAF Range Thal on Tuesday on the occasion of PAF High Mark-2010 exercise.

He said Pakistan Army’s Azm-e-Nou-111 field exercises were bigger than Zarb-e-Momin exercises. The PAF recent High Mark -2010 exercises would bring improvement in defence capabilities. These exercises were very impressive, he added.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Gen Tariq Majeed has made it clear that Army exercises do not aimed at giving message to any country but they are meant for bringing improvement in the capabilities of the armed forces. He said the recent Pakistan Army exercises were designed for testing its capabilities.

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India, Pakistan to launch parallel war games

India and Pakistan are set to simultaneously hold major war maneuvers involving thousands of troops, in a possible coincidence.

Both countries aim to test offensive strategies in the event of an armed conflict with the other side and will have active participation of their respective air forces.

The Indian Army will launch its month-long war games in mid-April in the Thar Desert, code-named 'Yodha Shakti', while Pakistan will be launching its 'Azm-e-Nau-III' (new resolve), exercise from April 10 to May 13.

India said its new Jaguar jet fighters will also be involved in the exercises.

Pakistan said that the exercise will mobilize 20,000 troops in the beginning, expanding to 40,000 to 50,000 towards the end. The maneuvers will be held near the border in the country's Punjab and Sindh provinces — close to Rajasthan's Thar Desert.

The exercise will be a two-sided, day-and-night affair with rapid and deep offensives being undertaken by the battle groups to assault and capture 'enemy' territory, said a senior Indian officer.

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Pakistan Regained Respect Globally Despite Challenges: PM Gilani

Pakistan News: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan has managed to carve its niche in the comity of nations despite all the internal challenges facing it.
He was addressing the gathering after the PAF kicked off its Exercise High Mark 2010 on Tuesday in Thal. He noted that the country is passing through a difficult phase; however, he added that the Pak Army and Air Force faced the challenges bravely. The first phase of the exercise is meant to test its preparedness of the force to meet the challenges in Thal area near Jhang.
PM Gilani, services chiefs and the members of the defence committee of the parliament graced the inaugural ceremony of the exercise. Defence sources say that this kind of exercise is held after every five years and involves all aerial frontiers and bases from across the country, including the latest missile and firepower of the country.
The JF-17 Thunder for the first time would participate in the exercise, in addition to F-16s and other fighter planes. The exercise would also involve the army and naval contingents to show an integrated approach to deal with any eventuality in the time of war. Earlier, while addressing the gathering, Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said that the exercises have opened a new era for the Air Force.

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'Indigenous' drones operating in Sargodha: Pak Army

Rejecting media reports regarding 'foreign drones' hovering over Sargodha, Punjab, the Pakistan Army has said the unmanned aircraft seen in the skies were developed indigenously.

Speaking during a press conference, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director Major General Athar Abbas said the drones seen in Sargodha were developed in Pakistan.

"There is no substance in such news, as the drones seen in Sargodha are indigenously developed by Pakistan," The Daily Times quoted Major General Abbas, as saying.

It may be noted that Pakistan is pestering the United States to provide the unmanned Predator aircrafts, so that it can carry out operation against extremists in the lawless tribal region.

Washington has rejected Islamabad's request, but instead offered the 'unarmed' Shadow drones for intelligence purpose. (ANI)

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India, Pakistan To Launch Major War-Games

Arch rivals and nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors India and Pakistan are set to hold separate large-scale war-games on either side of the international border in the coming weeks to test the preparedness of their respective armed forces in the event of a war.

Both nations are reported to have informed each other--as is customary in peace-time--about the maneouvres and the movement of troops, tanks, guns and fighter aircraft, to allay mutual concerns of any aggressive intent.

In its biggest war-games in two decades, Pakistan will stage "Azm-e-Nau-III" ("New Resolve") exercise from April 10 to May 13, near the border in the country's Punjab and Sindh provinces, to ready for a conventional war with India.

The drill will mobilize 20,000 troops to begin with, and rise to up to 50,000 towards the end, reports say.

Pakistan Air Force is conducting a large war-game of its own, code-named "High Mark," covering almost the entire landmass of the country from Gilgit in the Northern Areas to Karachi in the extreme south on the Arabian Sea coast, and will climax in a joint exercise with the Pakistan Army.
Just days after Pakistan kicks off its war-games, the Indian Army will launch its month-long exercise on April 15 in Rajasthan's Thar desert in the north-west. Codenamed "Yodha Shakti", the manoeuvre will involve one of its largest and most powerful "strike" formations, the Mathura-based First (Strike) Corps.

Troops will simulate "enemy forces" in a real battle scenario to assess how the formations would perform in both holding territory and in carrying out surgical strikes deep inside "enemy territory", apart from capturing and destroying strategic assets of the enemy.

The force is expected to validate new equipment, especially night-vision devices and electronic monitors, "in an environment of network-centric operations". It will also involve close air support from the Indian Air Force's front-line fighter aircraft and attack helicopters.

Also, the exercise will test the ability of troops to carry on the battle during night, particularly its T-72 and T-90 tanks and infantry combat vehicles, as 80% of the mechanized vehicles suffer from night-blindness, a fact admitted by immediate past Army Chief of Staff, General Deepak Kapoor, in his annual press conference two months ago.

"Yoddha Shakti" is a part of a series to test the "cold-start" doctrine under which the army will launch an assault from bases immediately after the political signal is given, without taking either days or months to mobilize.
The doctrine was adopted by Indian Army for a conventional war with Pakistan after the stand-off in 2002--post-Kargil war-- that saw full-scale deployment for a year that, however, did not escalate into a war. The biggest war-games India conducted so far were in the second half the 1980s, codenamed "Operation Brass-tacks", when Gen. K. Sundarji, considered India's version of Gen. George Patton, was Chief of the Army Staff, and which narrowly missed becoming a shooting war.

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Pakistan's Army Back in Charge

On March 16, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, presided over a meeting of key federal secretaries at his headquarters to finalize the agenda for an upcoming strategic dialogue with the US administration.

The fact that the army chief was presiding rather than either President Asif Ali Zardari or Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is an indication of who is calling the shots now in Islamabad. A participating secretary reportedly stated that the meeting was originally scheduled to be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but was ordered to be moved to the General Headquarters.

The military appears to be largely brushing aside the Zardari government, although it isn't throwing Zardari out of power as it has done four times previously with other civilian governments. But Zardari, as expected when he was elected on a tide of emotion over the assassination of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, has proven to be inept and the government is perceived as irretrievably corrupt. The army's new aggressiveness in dealing with extremists and the Taliban has set well with urban Pakistanis.

Former Jamat-e-Islami leader Qazi Hussein Ahmed told the Urdu-language newspaper, Khabrain on March 16 that "the real seat of power in Pakistan remains with the army, and that the President, Prime Minister and provincial governments are being kept happy, although they are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the military."

Gen. Kayani is the first army chief to participate in the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue held in Washington on March 24. Inter-Services Intelligence chief Gen. Ahmed Pasha, who was just awarded by his mentor a one-year extension, also participated. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi led their delegations, but the dialogue was largely between Gen. Kayani and his American counterparts.

Christina Lamb, foreign correspondent for The Sunday Times of London, wrote from Washington on March 7, that "In the Pakistani context, the military chiefs are going to make decisions." That is why there were no murmurs when Gen. Kayani extended the service of three lieutenant generals on his own without referring their cases to Minister of Defense or the Prime Minister.

"It shows that the present army chief has, by not seeking prior sanction for giving the extension, yet again established his organization's autonomous status," said Ayesha Siddiqa, writing in The Dawn, a leading Pakistani newspaper, on March 5. "Since Gen. Kayani has caught the imagination of his American friends, there are many in Washington who are in favor of an extension for the army chief," she added. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also appears to continue to bet on the military horse rather than the civilian government.

Americans know pretty well where to put their money. It was with Gen. Pervez Musharraf for 11 years, and when he lost steam they went with the Benazir Bhutto and then Zardari. They soon realized that the army had launched a strident attack on Zardari-backed American legislation for US$1.5 billion of annual aid for a period of five years. The act contained a number of conditions including civilian control of the armed forces and action against the Lashkar-e-Taiba which appears to have turned into a bureaucratic nightmare. The Army-directed campaign unnerved both the Zardari government and the Obama administration, which soon fell in line with Kayani's diktats.

Politicians take their cues from the Army chief before they articulate their foreign and security policies. Kayani's press briefing on February 10 after his 'successful' return from Afghanistan conferences in Ankara and London was clearly a policy direction. He cited water issues as the reason for Pakistan having to be India-centric in its defense preparedness. This is a new posture to seek to convince the international community to buy his argument that India remains their enemy number one and that they cannot ignore the threat from the east to focus on the west.

If one requires further proof of Army's control of foreign affairs, Afghanistan proves the point. It was Gen. Kayani who recently visited Kabul and invited President Karzai to pay a return visit to Islamabad. Karzai did visit Islamabad within a week and the first dignitary he met was Gen. Kayani in the GHQ. Other `protocol' meetings followed with a customary press briefing with Prime Minister Gilani.

In Pakistan, Army power comes not just from its guns but the vast economic clout it enjoys from food production to industrial production. It controls entire gamut of activities directly through its commercial ventures. Every day, more properties are forcefully allotted to itself or grabbed by force.

There were recent leaks of documents showing Sikh Gurudwara lands measuring thousands of acres and costing millions of rupees, being sold cheaply to the Army commercial ventures. Pervez Musharraf used the Army-controlled Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to get Rs55 billion in contracts without tenders only to distribute them among those private companies and contractors where his relatives and friends were working to help them mint money through such secret deals.

Earlier last year, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif expressed grave concern during a visit to Bahawalpur over the large chunk of land occupied by the military in Cholistan. Allotment of land to the higher-ups in the military is not a new phenomenon. Under various schemes since the 1960s, many senior and junior army officers were allotted agricultural lands in Sindh, Cholistan and some other districts of Punjab. Musharraf allotted a large chunk of land to himself and other generals in Cholistan.

The Army, therefore, enjoys both muscle and money power. Who can dare them? No need to be pessimistic, though. Judicial and popular power showed beyond doubt that mightiest army generals can be thrown out, as Musharraf learned.

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Indigenous drones operating in Sargodha: Pak Army

Rejecting media reports regarding foreign drones hovering over Sargodha, Punjab, the Pakistan Army has said the unmanned aircraft seen in the skies were developed indigenously.

Speaking during a press conference, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director Major General Athar Abbas said the drones seen in Sargodha were developed in Pakistan.

There is no substance in such news, as the drones seen in Sargodha are indigenously developed by Pakistan, The Daily Times quoted Major General Abbas, as saying.

It may be noted that Pakistan is pestering the United States to provide the unmanned Predator aircrafts, so that it can carry out operation against extremists in the lawless tribal region.

Washington has rejected Islamabads request, but instead offered the unarmed Shadow drones for intelligence purpose.

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Pakistan army is out to secure Orakzai

By Kamran Haider
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani forces, backed by tanks, artillery, helicopter gunships and fighter jets, have stepped up an offensive to root out Taliban militants from the lawless northwestern region of Orakzai.

The top government official in Kalaya, the region's main town, said last week that government troops had control of more than 90 percent of the territory, which is considered a sanctuary for the Pakistani Taliban.

He said 235 militants had been killed and many hideouts destroyed in the latest assault, launched March 23. Ten soldiers have also died in the fighting. There is no independent confirmation of these figures.


GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

Orakzai is one of seven semi-autonomous regions in Pakistan's northwest but unlike other ethnic Pashtun lands, it does not border Afghanistan.

Instead, the rugged mountainous territory borders Khyber and Kurram in north and west, and Peshawar and Kohat cities in northeast and south. According to the 1998 census, its population is about 750,000.
HUB OF MILITANTS

Orakzai was the original base of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who is widely believed to have been killed in January in a U.S. drone attack in North Waziristan region near the Afghan border.

Before moving to South Waziristan, a safe heaven for al Qaeda and Taliban militants, as chief of the Pakistani Taliban, Mehsud commanded Islamist insurgents in Kurram and Khyber. The Taliban in Khyber frequently attacked Western convoys bound for Afghanistan, endangering the vital supply route.

The government's military drives in the northwestern Swat Valley, Bajaur and South Waziristan forced many militants, including foreign fighters, to take refuge in Orakzai.

According to security officials, militants continue to use the region to launch attacks on Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province, and other neighbouring towns.

A top military spokesman said military operations were stepped up in the region to protect Peshawar.

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What is the ranking and position of Al Khalid tank in the world ?

Alkhalid tank is the main battle tank of Pakistan. It is one of the best tanks of the world and not less than any tank in the world. It has many feautures superior to many other modern tanks of the world. But world is so fast so it is not easy for Al Khalid to be placed on number 1 tank of the world. Infact, its feautures are too close to world no 1 tank. Many tanks are like Al Khalid specially T-90 tank is most comparable to Al Khalid. Due to few lack of qualities it is on no 11 according to world defence analysers. It does not mean that it can not fight with world top tank but due to very small differences all of these tanks are ranked. The best thing is that Al Khalid tank is better than Indian Arjun Tank. Arjun tank is not in world top 20 tanks according to world defence and military tank rankings 2010. It is good for us because we are having less military budget than any other comparable country of the world but having more quality. I suppose for next war if will happen near in future then Al Khalid will have great part in it. Insallah

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Hizb ultras held responsible for attack on Congress leader's house

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir police today held the Hizbul Mujahideen responsible for the attack on the house of a senior Congress leader which was repulsed by his Personal Security Officer (PSO) who killed a mujahid and injured another in Pulwama district of South Kashmir last night.

The injured mujahid, who had initially escaped with the help of his associate, was arrested later and admitted to a hospital here for treatment, a police spokesman said.

A group of three Hizbul Mujahideen mujahid tried to intrude into the house of Congress' Pulwama District president Abdul Gani Dar at village Rohama, 40 kms from here, last night.

However, the PSO of the Congress leader challenged the intruders who opened indiscriminate firing. The PSO fired back
and in the brief shootout, one of the mujahids was killed and
another injured.

However, the injured mujahid fled the scene with the help of his associate, taking advantage of darkness.

Reinforcements of police and security forces rushed to
the scene soon after the incident and launched a hunt to
apprehend the fleeing militants, the spokesman said, adding
that after a hectic search police arrested the injured
mujahid who was abandoned by his accomplice.

An AK assault rifle, its one magazine, 10 rounds, a pistol, its one magazine with three rounds and two hand grenades were recovered from the possession of the slain and captured mujahid, the spokesman said.

He identified the deceased mujahid as Mohammad Aslam Kalas alias "Janbaaz" of Hizbul Mujahideen, but did not divulge the identity of the captured mujahid.

However, police sources identified the captured mujahid
as Arshid Ahmad of Keller area who had reportedly joined the
mujahid ranks only a month back.

Kalas, a resident of Nasarpora village, was a hardcore mujahid and was active for the last couple of years, the sources said adding his killing is considered as a setback to the Hizbul Mujahideen in the Keller belt.

Arshid, who had received a bullet injury in the abdomen, claimed that he along with his associates had gone to the house of the Congress leader to have dinner, the sources said quoting his preliminary questioning at the hospital.

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On U.S., India and Pakistan: maybe some transparency would help

”President Barack Obama issued a secret directive in December to intensify American diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between India and Pakistan, asserting that without détente between the two rivals, the administration’s efforts to win Pakistani cooperation in Afghanistan would suffer. ”

“The directive concluded that India must make resolving its tensions with Pakistan a priority for progress to be made on U.S. goals in the region, according to people familiar with its contents,” it says.

It also says there is a debate within the U.S. administration over how far to push India to improve relations with Pakistan, with the Pentagon lobbying for more pressure on New Delhi and the State Department resisting, arguing this could backfire.

The idea that resolving tensions between India and Pakistan is central to stabilising Afghanistan is not new. Its importance rose up the agenda during Obama’s election campaign in 2008. And it never really went away despite successful Indian lobbying to keep any reference to India or Kashmir out of the title given to U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke in January 2009. At the time, the truncated title was seen as not so much as a reflection of ground realities (Pakistan has always fixed its foreign and security policies in relation to India), but as a way of providing the space for discreet diplomacy to succeed where public pressure might fail.

What is new is the context. India is deeply sensitive to what it sees as Washington’s favouritism towards Pakistan as it tries to find a way out of the stalemate in Afghanistan. As a result it has become “America’s Wounded Ally” in the expression used by Indian analyst Sumit Ganguly in Newsweek, angry with Obama for turning his back on a blossoming relationship forged by his predecessors.

As a brief aside, this has happened before. Immediately after 9/11 India sought to capitalise on its then growing ties with the United States by offering the use of Indian bases for its campaign in Afghanistan only to see Washington turn instead to its old Cold War favourite Pakistan. At the time, an Indian analyst I knew rather graphically compared the sense of betrayal in New Delhi to that of a mistress whose lover goes back to his wife. His analogy may have accurately captured the emotional response at the time, but it was wrong in substance, since India and the United States went on to build an even stronger relationship, including signing a deal effectively recognising India as a nuclear power. The same may yet happen again despite all the current hand-wringing.

However, to return to the subject of the WSJ report, and the debate over how far Washington should go to push India and Pakistan into improving relations:

The WSJ quotes State Department officials as arguing that the most recent promising peace effort – secret reconciliation talks on Kashmir several years ago between Indian Prime Minster Manmohan Singh and then-Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf – occurred without U.S. involvement.

At least three questions need to be asked about that statement.

First of all, are they really talking about no U.S. involvement at all? As we now know, U.S. and British diplomats were involved in encouraging those backchannel talks, smoothing out the rough edges and many misunderstandings, even though they did not actually sit at the same table to mediate.

Secondly, how do we know those talks made progress specifically because of the limits on U.S. involvement? Some analysts argue that India’s coercive diplomacy in the military standoff with Pakistan from 2001-2002 forced a change of heart in Musharraf, transforming him from the architect of the 1999 Kargil war to a leader seeking peace over Kashmir. Others say Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup in 1999, wanted peace with India to secure his own legacy and bolster his position within Pakistan. With so many variables, it is impossible to say with any certainty which one played the most significant role.

Thirdly, those talks were held in secret, with the result that they failed to carry public opinion or even subsequent governments along with them. Was this secrecy really that helpful? Secret meetings between top Indian and Pakistani envoys in hotels in third countries away from the glare of the media have their uses - as demonstrated by the progress made on Kashmir in the back-channel talks under Musharraf. But how helpful can they be if they remain deniable and unknown to the public?

A different, and possibly more productive debate, would be over whether anybody gains from the total lack of transparency in relations between India and Pakistan and in the extent of U.S. involvement.

Some of the most contentious issues between the two countries are those that are the most opaque. India is deeply suspicious of the attitude of the Pakistan Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency to the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group blamed for the November 2008 attack on Mumbai. It has not helped that the Lashkar-e-Taiba is seen in India as behind last month’s attack in Kabul which targeted Indians. The United States has muddied the waters further by stalling on giving India access to David Headley, the Chicago man accused of working with the Laskhar-e-Taiba to plan the Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan in turn is deeply suspicious of India’s presence in Afghanistan, accusing its intelligence agency of funding militants, including Baluch separatists, to destabilise Pakistan – an accusation India denies. The United States has yet to be particularly clear about where it stands on India’s role in Afghanistan.

In the meantime, nobody knows for sure how much the United States is working behind the scenes to convince both countries to talk, or for that matter to try to dampen down the proxy war their intelligence agencies are accused of fighting in Afghanistan.

According to the Indian blog, The Acorn, news of the Obama directive in the WSJ report will make it even harder for Indian Prime Minister Singh to pursue peace moves with Pakistan for fear of being seen to do so under U.S. pressure. “Mr Obama has put Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a political difficult position. The news of the White House ‘directive’ making it into the public domain will, paradoxically, severely damage any prospect of New Delhi making things easier for the United States, even when such actions might be in India’s own interests.”

That’s in line with current thinking that discreet diplomacy is more effective than open discussion. But discreet diplomacy has not worked. How about going the other way into far greater transparency?

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Homemade drones successfully operated in Sargodha

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful operation of indigenously developed drones in Sargodha, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Athar Abbas said on Monday. Briefing journalists on the Pakistan Army’s Azm-e-Nau-3 exercise, Abbas said that some of the news channels were airing reports regarding the presence of drones in Sargodha’s skies, presumably owned by some other country, APP reported. “There is no substance in such news, as the drones seen in Sargodha are indigenously developed by Pakistan,” he said. staff report/app

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Pakistan's Army accused of extra-judicial killings

New York-based Human Rights Watch said it had briefed U.S. State Department and congressional officials about mounting evidence of more than 200 summary executions in Swat Valley in the past eight months of suspected Taliban sympathizers.

Pakistan's army denied the group's accusations of abuse in Swat, home to about 1.3 million people and the site of a much-lauded military operation last year to take back the former Taliban stronghold.

"Swat is open to journalists and you can conduct investigative reporting there," Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told Reuters in Islamabad. "Have you seen any sort of report in Pakistani newspapers?"

The Lahore-based Human Rights Commission of Pakistan provided a list of 249 suspected extra-judicial killings from July 30, 2009, to March 22, 2010, saying most of the bodies were found in Swat. It said independent journalists and locals widely believed security forces were behind them.

Officials in Washington said they were taking the accusations of abuse seriously. The Obama administration has raised the matter with Islamabad, officials said.

"We have shared our concern about these allegations with senior Pakistani officials and will continue to monitor the situation closely," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has also discussed U.S. concerns with Pakistani military and government officials.

"While our strong bilateral relationship with Pakistan and our close partnership in combating terrorism are very important to us, we take allegations of human rights abuses seriously," said Geoff Morrell, Pentagon press secretary.

White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said "we are seeing positive forward motion from our friends" in Pakistan on the issue, but did not elaborate.

SENSITIVE MOMENT

Accusations of rights abuses by the Pakistani military are not new, but the latest allegations come at a highly sensitive moment for U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Washington, which faces frequent criticism in Pakistan following suspected CIA drone strikes on militants, wants to strengthen ties with Islamabad. It also wants to encourage more operations against Islamic extremists following the Pakistani military's success in Swat and also in South Waziristan.

But Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said the pace of extra-judicial killings in Pakistan was "not slowing down."

The United States is obliged to enforce a law authored by Senator Patrick Leahy banning assistance to foreign military units facing credible accusations of abuses, he said.

"If they obtain or receive credible information that a particular unit is engaged in this kind of behavior, they have to de-fund the unit," Malinowski said.

Human Rights Watch is not yet able to single out any units for the abuses, which also include illegal detention, he said.

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Washington has given more than $15 billion in aid to Pakistan, most of it for security-related work.

The Pentagon's Morrell said aid to Pakistan's military had not been cut off. He said there had been productive dialogue with Islamabad "about how we can help them build their capacity to deal with detainees in a rule of law framework."

"This work has been going on for several months now and we are pleased to see progress being made," he said.

The State Department said U.S. aid was being delivered in full accordance with U.S. law, and added that assistance to Pakistani security forces incorporated human rights training.

BODIES DUMPED

Human Rights Watch said the Army was targeting civilians who had voiced support for the Taliban when they controlled Swat or were suspected of providing them food or shelter.

"People are taken away, and sometimes they turn up a few days or weeks later having been tortured. Sometimes they disappear. Sometimes their body is dumped with a bullet in the head," Malinowski said.

He also described cases of illegal detention.

"A son has gone off to fight with the Taliban, and so another son is taken as a hostage," he said. "And the father is told: We will release son No. 2 when son No. 1 turns himself in."

He said such abuses ran against U.S. counter-insurgency strategy and could erode support for Pakistan's government. The Army remains popular in Swat, which endured a brutal Taliban rule that included public beheadings and floggings.

The White House National Security Council's Hammer said the Obama administration had briefed Congress on the allegations.

Leahy's office declined to comment on the specific allegations of abuse but called for enforcement of U.S. law "so U.S. aid does not go to army units that violate human rights."

"And Pakistani authorities need to know how U.S. law is applied," spokesman David Carle said.

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Taliban storm US consulate, attacks in Pak kill 46

Taliban militants, dressed in battle fatigues, on Monday made a brazen attempt to storm the US consulate in this northwest Pakistani city with car bombs and grenades as a suicide bomber unleashed carnage at a rally near here killing a total of 46 people.



While 43 people were killed and over 100 others injured in the suicide bombing in Timergara in lower Dir, three others, including a policeman, lost their lives in the attack targeting the American consulate.



Six heavily-armed attackers came in two cars and raked two security check posts of the consulate with gunfire as a series of grenade explosions rocked the cantonment area where the premises is located before they were gunned down by the security forces.



"The target was certainly the American consulate but they didn't succeed in getting there," a police official said as senior provincial minister Bashir Bilour asserted that the "militants were well-equipped and it was a well-organised attack." The attackers were carrying a large amount of explosives and several suicide jackets which were defused by security personnel, Bilour said. One policeman was killed, he said.

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Biggest ever Pak Army exercise from Saturday

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army field exercise Azm-e-Nau-3, the biggest ever in the country’s history, will start from Saturday (April 10) and last until May 13, and will involve nearly 50,000 troops.

The six-week field exercise involves troops belonging to all arms and services besides engagement of various aircraft and equipment of the Pakistan Air Force.

“The exercise is a culmination of a long and deliberate process of war games, discussions and logistic evolution of the concept of warfare that is fully responsive to a wide menu of emerging threats,” Military Training Director General Maj Gen Muzammil Hussain told journalists.

Eastern border: “These exercises will be focused only on conventional war on the eastern border,” he said.

To a question about the danger posed by militants on Pakistan’s western border, he said his men were fully trained to fight the insurgency based on the western border. “We are aware of the threat on the western front, we have internal security issues and we can’t be oblivious to what could happen on the eastern border,” Muzammil added.

The exercise is part of a concept validation stage of operational thought process manifested in the form of tactical, operational and organisational aspects, which will be validated and refined through the lessons learnt, he said.

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Future of PAF ( Pakistan Air Force ) and its aircrafts

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Air Force would soon induct “near to high-tech” and high-tech fleet of fighter-bomber aircraft with the aim to modernize the country’s air force, said Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mamood Ahmed on Friday.

“We have plans to replace our ageing fleet with the fourth and fifth generation fighter-bomber aircraft till year 2015,” he said while briefing newsmen regarding future plans of PAF with special regard to the manufacturing of JF-17 Thunder aircraft with the help of China, at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra.

He said the number of aircraft in the fleet would also be enhanced from existing 320 to 400.

He said PAF was finalizing to purchase high-tech J-10 type aircraft from China and initially two squadrons of this fifth generation aircraft would be inducted in the PAF.

Terming the newly manufactured aircraft JF-17 Thunder as most lethal aircraft, to be included in the inventory of PAF, he said “presently we have plans to induct 150 Thunder aircraft in the fleet and later on their number would be enhanced up to 250.”

“10 to 12 squadrons of PAF would be equipped with the supersonic, lightweight and multi-role Thunder platforms,” he added.

He said the aircraft was capable of carrying all types of weapons and added “JF-17 Thunder is no less than a good aircraft available in the market.”

He said the plan for procurement of 18 brand new and 24 pre-used F-16 aircraft from the US was going according to its schedule. He said the renovation and upgradation of 32 other F-16 aircraft was also going as per the time frame.

He said plans were also in-hand to achieve the technology for air-to-air refueling of the aircraft and added we would attain the capability prior to the induction of JF-17 Thunder in the PAF by the next year.

He said during this year six more JF-17 aircraft would be received from China as in 2008 the serial production of the aircraft would commence. “In next three years Pakistan would be able to produce 50 % avionics and frame of the aircraft,” he said.

The PAF Chief said, 15 aircraft would be manufactured in 2008 while 20 in the next year with the aim to achieve capability to manufacture 25 to 30 aircraft per year.

Answering a question, he said the provision of engine for the aircraft was being managed by China and expressed the hope that there would hardly be any influence of any third country to affect the project.

He said the engine of the aircraft was an improved version of MIG-29 aircraft of Russia and the manufacturer (Russia) has already signed an agreement with China for their uninterrupted supply for JF-17 Thunder.

He dispelled the impression that Pakistan was in any arms race and said “our arms and equipment are for peace and to maintain the peace. We have no offensive design.”

In reply to a question, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed said JF-17 aircraft was manufactured at almost half the price of any other aircraft of fourth or fifth generation platform available in the market.

He said this aircraft (JF-17) was an outcome of the knowledge and expertise gained by Pakistani and Chinese experts by using variety of technologies during the past five decades.

He expressed the hope that in the days to come, the aircraft would capture market, due to its high performance at comparatively low cost.

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Indian Air Force Hal Tejas ( Future aircraft ) Vs JF-17 Thunder of Pakistan Air Force ( Basic Comparison )

JF-17 Thunder Vs Hal Tejas Comparison                    

                                           JF-17 Thunder                                               Hal Tejas
Unit Cost                             US$ 15 Million                                           US$ 22.6 Million
Max Speed                          Mach 1.8 ( 2205 Km/Hr)                           Mach 1.8 ( 2376 + Km/Hr )
Range                                  2175 Miles                                                  1840 Miles
Service Ceiling                     16700 Miles ( 54,790 ft )                            16500 Miles ( 54,000 ft )
Hardpoints                           7 Total                                                             8 Total
Loaded Weight                  9100Kg( with 2× Missiles )                             9500 Kg
Empty Weight                      6,411 Kg                                                      5,680 Kg


  This is very basic comparison. It is too difficult to compare them in most simple way. I will try to compare them in most simple way very soon with most details. I recommend you to search for both planes on wikipedia and check avonics of both aircrafts to check their abilities.

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30 more extremists killed, 6 soldiers martyred

Peshawar—As the bloody clashes between the security forces and the alleged terrorists continued in parts of Aurakzai agency, at least 30 trouble makers were reported killed and many others injured. Six men in uniform embraced Shahadat and some received wounds during encounter with the insurgents on Saturday.

Though the security forces have been operating against the militants in Aurakzai agency for the last few months operation was paced up in the month of March. In ground and air offensives against the militants around 250 trouble makers were killed. 12 soldiers embraced Shahadat in clashes with the miscreants. Locals claim many civilians also fell prey to the bombings by the PAF air machines.

Military sources in Kalaya the headquarters of Aurakzai agency told Pakistan Observer that the security forces backed by the PAF birds Saturday morning launched operation to gain control of the strategic heights around the Bezotay which led to a bloody shoot out between the forces and the militants. Militants offered tough resistance to the security forces killing as many as six soldiers while ten others sustained wounds. The ground forces and the air force then stuck hard on the militants and targeted their positions with full might with the help of artillery and gunship helicopters mowing down around 30 miscreants and wounding several others. The wounded soldiers were transported to CMH Kohat for the treatment. The forces have gained full control of important heights around the Bezotay area.

The PAF gunship choppers and the jets also bombarded hideouts of the extremists’ in Atmankhel and Torikhel areas. Two significant havens of the alleged extremists in Feroz Khel area of Aurakzai agency were brought under control of the security forces. In Sultanghai, the insurgents attacked a security check post injuring two security men and fled from the scene after committing the crime.

On the other hand, mass migration of people from Aurakzai agency continued Saturday and according to rough estimates more than 40,000 people have so far left Aurakzai and Kurram agencies to find refuge in safer places specially Kohat and Hangu. A UN body dealing with the refugees and displaced persons , said in Islamabad that on average 800 people were migrating from Aurakzai agency daily.

In the meanwhile the militants blew up more schools in Darra Adam Khel FR Kohat Saturday morning but no casualty was reported in the subversive activities.

According to political administration, militants blew up a government boys primary school in Sarrah Mela village of Darra Adam Khel and destroyed its building as well as the fixtures. Four education institutions including a boys degree college and a Poly-technique institute were blown up by the insurgents in Aurakzai and Mohmand agencies believably in reaction to the security forces operation in the tribal belt.

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495 degrees awarded at PAF-KIET convocation

The seventh convocation ceremony of the PAF— Karachi Institute of Economics & Technology was held at PAF-Korangi Creek Campus on Saturday.

As many as 495 graduates were conferred degrees in the disciplines of Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering and Computer Arts.

A maximum of 357 degrees were awarded to the students of the College of Management Sciences, including 130 in BBA, 225 in MBA and 02 in MS. Of the remaining degrees, 64 were awarded in the College of Computing & Information Sciences including 26 in BS, 25 in MCS and MBA-MIS, seven in MS and two degrees were in MS-TE.

Six degrees were awarded to BCA students. The remaining 72 degrees were awarded to the BE Electronics students.

Nasir Ali Shah Bukhari, Chairman Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Group was the chief guest on the occasion, who also awarded gold and silver medals to the distinguished students.

The chief guest emphasized that students must broaden their vision by going for the higher education.

Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed, Director Pakistan Studies Centre, University of Karachi, Chancellor of the Institute Prof Dr Izhar-Ul-Hasan, Dr Izhar also spoke.

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PAF conducts fighter operations from motorway

KARACHI: Two fighter aircraft of Pakistan Air Force carried out successful operations from the Motorway on Friday, says a press release of the ISPR issued on Friday.

It said that after landing, these aircraft were refuelled, re-armed and re-launched for air operations.

PAF has thus validated its concept of fighter operations from the Motorways and National Highways.

Federal Minister for Communication Dr. Arbab Alamgir Khan, Chairman National Highway Authority Altaf Ahmed Chaudhry, IG NH&MP and DIG Punjab Police witnessed the event along with a contingent of PAF Airmen.

The activity was a part of PAF’s ongoing Exercise ‘High Mark-2010’.

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MKRMS seminar

LAHORE: Speakers at a seminar called for better police-public liaison and training of the police force in countering terrorism with the help of modern technology. The seminar, titled ‘Role and Responsibilities of Police in Eliminating Terrorism’, was organised by the Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Memorial Society (MKRMS) on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad Khan said terrorism had become a universal phenomenon and there was no end to the impasse created after 9/11. He said the governments should focus on motives of terrorism, as “we are still unaware of our enemies”. Shamshad said India was equally responsible for the Mumbai attacks, as it had allowed the entry of terrorists in violation of the resolution of the Security Council passed to control terrorism by using official resources.

Shamshad said the Army operations were not a solution to terrorism, as there was a need to win the hearts by eliminating hatred. He said the police had rendered sacrifices fighting the terror wave, which started in 2002. He, however, added that the gap between the people and the police should be bridged and the VIP culture should be changed. He said that in Pakistan, over 80 per cent of the police force was deployed on the VIP security duty. He said there should be equal protection for the masses also.

IGP Tariq Saleem Dogar said wars were linked to the foreign policy of countries. He said the recent war was a guerrilla war in which the strategy of hit-and-die was being used instead of the hit-and-run approach. He said due to the poor foreign policy, terrorist activities started in Pakistan from the day it intervened in the affairs of Afghanistan to become a ‘Chaudhry’. He said there would be peace in Pakistan when peace was restored to Afghanistan. He said there was a need for independent foreign, economic and strategic policies to overcome the terrorism in Pakistan. The IG said there was a link between the roles of the police, public and media. He said justice and good behaviour were important to improve the image of the police among the masses. He said a citizen’s tip off in southern Punjab had helped the police bust a network of terrorists.

He held the media responsible for harming the image of the police among the masses by launching campaigns against police torture instead of pinpointing incidents. He said the people should play their due role, as peaceful existence was put at stake. He said the government should provide modern equipment to the police to counter terrorism. Senior journalist Suhail Waraich said the police were an extension of the people and it should have more interaction with the masses. He, however, disagreed with the views of the IGP and Shamshad Khan, saying it was the foreign policy prepared by the Quaid-i-Azam and Liaqat Ali Khan which had helped establish the Pakistan Army with foreign aid. He said the people loved the police for playing a role in eliminating terrorism, as the masses had showered monuments of martyred policemen with roses. MKRMS Chairman Wasif Nagi related the history of suicide attacks, saying that in the past, the suicide attacks were carried out for the defence of countries, but at the moment, these were meant for creating unrest within the countries.

Aziz Ahmad Awan said the poor image of the police had a long history and it would take time to change the views of the people. Professor Dr Riaz Ahmad Warraich of the Mayo Hospital said the government should implement a disaster management plan to reduce casualties resulting from the incidents of terrorism. IGP Tariq Saleem Dogar presided over the seminar, while Taameer-e-Pakistan Party Secretary-General Aziz Ahmad Awan was invited as a special guest.

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Lt Gen Masood Aslam retiring after 39-year service

By Rahimullah Yusufzai

PESHAWAR: After serving for 39 years in the Pakistan Army and the last 33 months as corps commander Peshawar, Lt Gen Muhammad Masood Aslam is holding farewell meetings prior to shedding his uniform on April 9.

On Friday, he met a group of senior journalists to thank them for their support and understanding during his tough tenure as the commander of thousands of troops operating against militants in the tribal areas and districts of NWFP.

He has also been visiting troops deployed in Swat, the tribal areas and elsewhere in the province. The new corps commander, Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik, has already reached Peshawar. He is expected to assume charge on April 10. He belongs to the Punjab Regiment and was until recently serving as a director general in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Islamabad.

The soft-spoken Lt Gen Masood Aslam was given one-year extension by Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in October last year shortly before the launching of the military operation against the Taliban militants in South Waziristan. He was due to retire on September 23, 2009 and the Operation Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan was launched on October 17.

However, he opted to call it a day and seek retirement before availing the one-year extension in service now that the military operation in South Waziristan has been completed. Lt Gen Masood Aslam was made Corps Commander of the XI Corps of Pakistan Army in July 2007 in place of Lt Gen Hamid Khan.

Some of the major military operations against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants in Swat, Buner, Lower Dir, Bajaur, Mohmand, Frontier Region Bannu, Darra Adamkhel and South Waziristan took place under his command.

Born in 1952 in Mujahidabad in Jhelum district, Masood Aslam as a young army officer fought in the 1971 war with India and later in his career served at the Siachen frontline. As Brigadier, he commanded two infantry brigades, one of which fought during the Kargil War.

Lt Gen Masood Aslam served as GOC Jhelum and also as director general of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Punjab during General Pervez Musharraf’s rule. He lost his only son, Hashim Masood Aslam, in the December 2009 suicide bombing at the Parade Lane mosque in Rawalpindi. His daughter is studying medicine.

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Army kills two terrorists in Kashmir (Lead)

Srinagar, April 4 (IANS) Indian troops Sunday gunned down two terrorists who sneaked into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan, the military said.

The two men were killed in Kupwara district on the Line of Control (LoC), which divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan, army spokesman Lt Col J.S. Brar told IANS here.

“The terrorists were killed in Keran sector,” he said, adding that his men had foiled another infiltration bid by the terrorists from Pakistan.

He said the identity of the guerrillas had not been established and further searches were on in the area.

Eight guerrillas were killed by the army in the same sector late last month in a fierce gunfight that raged for three days.

With intelligence inputs suggesting that around 400 guerrillas had been waiting to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir this summer, security forces have been put on maximum alert.

The army has launched Operation ‘Khoj’ in Rajouri district of Jammu region where 14 guerrillas were recently killed in different gunfights.

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Pakistan army kills 25 militants in Orazkai tribal area

At least 25 militants were killed Saturday during Pakistani security forces' operation in the northwest Orakzai tribal agency, the army said.
Local officials told Xinhua that five security personnel were also injured in the clashes with militants.
The army said that security forces' operation is underway in different parts of Orakzai, the only tribal area which is not bordering Afghanistan.
Last week, the security forces started limited air strikes and ground assault in Orakzai and the offensive became intensive in recent days, killing over 250 militants so far.
Officials said that a large number of militants fled from South Waziristan, the stronghold of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have arrived in Orakzai agency.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been shifted to safe places as the security forces stepped up operations in the area. Locals said that some 80 percent people have left the area and moved to nearby cities including Hangu and Kohat.
Orakzai agency has a large number of presence of local, Al- Qaeda and foreign militants. Militants fled to this area months ago before the military operation was started in South Waziristan tribal agency.
Orakzai is the second smallest agency in area after Bajaur agency. It is bounded by Kurram agency in the west, Khyber in the north, Kohat district in the south and Peshawar in the east.
The whole of the territory of Orakzai agency is a mountainous and hilly region with a fertile valley. In this regard it is a paradise for Al-Qaeda and other militants to find sanctuaries and use it as the launching pad against Pakistani security forces and even for Afghanistan violence.

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Sohail unimpressive against rookie Army

The full-back, who has been under fire for his pathetic performance at the World Cup where he scored just two goals and Pakistan finished at bottom of the table, was once again below par when he scored just once off four penalty corners. His second goal came through a penalty stroke which was obviously the easiest way to score even for an amateur.

Sohail was even criticised by his coach Shahid Ali Khan for his poor performance along with other senior players at the World Cup.

Wapda were certainly unimpressive against their rookie opponents considering the numbers of top Pakistan players in their ranks. Apart from Sohail, Wapda had the services of several other Pakistan players – Waseem Ahmad, Rehan Butt, Imran Khan, Sajjad Anwar, and Waqas Sharif.

After struggling for 27 minutes, the winners finally opened the scoring through a penalty corner conversion by Sohail which proved the only goal by the defender through short corner at the Hockey Club of Pakistan.

Army retaliated in the 38th minute when Kashif Ali put the game on an even keel in the 38th minute before Waqas put Wapda 2-1 up with a field effort in the 60th minute. Sohail found the target on a penalty stroke five minutes before the end.

Akhtar Ali and Muhammad Ateeq scored two goals each in NBP’s 7-0 win against PAF.

Ateeq drew first blood when he found the cage twice on penalty corners in the 12th and 17th minutes, while Naeem Akbar scored on a short corner four minutes before the halftime.

Akhtar came into action one minute into second half before completing his double in the 44th minute. Pakistan centre-forward Haseem Khan added the sixth goal in the 54th minute, while Muhammad Tauseeq wrapped up the game with an impressive penalty corner conversion two minutes later.

PIA handed a 5-1 defeat to Pakistan Navy.

Inayatullah’s second-minute opening goal for PIA was equalised by Navy through Muhammad Imran who scored a penalty stroke five minutes before the lemon time.

PIA went 3-1 up when Mahmood Ali was on target in the 49th minute and Mohammad Zubair slammed home just 60 seconds later.

The winners finished off with goals from Mohammad Irfan and Kashif Ali in the 51st and 53rd minutes.
The first match between Wapda and Army was delayed as turf cannot be watered because of power failure.

Sunday’s fixtures:

HBL v Port Qasim Authority at 2.00pm; Navy v Wapda at 3.30pm; SSGC v KESC at 5.00pm.

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