Pakistan has unveiled a new Army Rocket Force dedicated to managing and enhancing its missile capabilities for conventional warfare — a step widely viewed as aimed at counterbalancing neighbouring India.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the initiative late Wednesday at a ceremony in Islamabad marking the anniversary of Pakistan’s most intense military clash with India in decades, just ahead of the nation’s 78th Independence Day.

Calling the move a “milestone” in strengthening the army’s combat power, Sharif said the new force would be “equipped with modern technology.” While operational specifics were not disclosed, a senior security official confirmed the Rocket Force will have its own command structure responsible for missile deployment in the event of a conventional conflict.

“It is obvious that it is meant for India,” the official said, noting the longstanding rivalry between the two nuclear-armed nations, both of which have steadily upgraded their military capabilities since independence in 1947.

The announcement follows a spike in tensions earlier this year. In April, 26 civilians were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir in an attack India blamed on Pakistan — an accusation Islamabad denied. By May, the standoff escalated into the most serious fighting in years, involving missiles, drones, and fighter jets. Hostilities ended after a ceasefire announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump, though India maintains the truce was arranged directly between the two militaries.

The establishment of the Army Rocket Force underscores Pakistan’s drive to bolster its defense posture amid persistent regional hostilities and an ongoing strategic arms competition with India.