Press Release: Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies, Lahore
Seminar: ‘Pakistan Air Force : Second to None’
The Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS), Lahore organized a commemorative seminar titled “Pakistan Air Force : Second to None” on September 7, 2023. This event paid tribute to the enduring legacy of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), rooted in Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of being ‘Second to None’.
The 1965 and 1971 wars tested PAF’s mettle, resulting in shining victories and showcasing professionalism. The seminar’s goal was to extract invaluable lessons from these historical chapters, guiding the PAF’s pursuit of becoming a topnotch air force, committed to defending the nation with unwavering excellence.
Group Captain Faisal ul Rehman, Director Ops and Admin, CASS Lahore, delivered the introductory remarks. His speech was followed by a keynote address by Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail (Retd), who highlighted accomplishments of the PAF in 1965 and 1971 wars.
Following the keynote address, Air Commodore Khalid Chishti (Retd) shed light on the remarkable achievements of PAF war heroes. Additionally, two distinguished war veterans, Air Commodore Abdul Basit (Retd) and Air Commodore Farooq Haider (Retd), shared their personal accounts from the 1965 and 1971 wars.
An extensive question and answer session followed the statements by the guest speakers.
Air Marshal Asim Suleiman (Retd), President CASS Lahore, in his concluding remarks, said that for an effective, watchful, and hard-hitting air force, it is important to have focused training; state of the art equipment and weapons; and self-sufficient industrial base with indigenously developed technologies.
Under the leadership of the current Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, PAF has undergone a strategic reset in terms of combat training along with acquisition of requisite equipment and infrastructure development, to maintain its legacy of having cutting edge combat capabilities.
PAF has recently made extensive inductions to stay abreast with modern technologies and state of the art weapon systems.
They include, induction of PL-15 air to air missiles and its integration to the launching platform, J10-C operationalization, offensive air and ground launched weapons, array of UAVs from strategic to tactical usage, variety of powerful EW equipment, cyber capability in all such domains and launching of PFX Pakistan’s Advanced Flight etc.
The inductions made in last two years are strategic in nature and vision of the Air Chief is to have a long lasting impact on the PAF’s operational preparedness and combat readiness.
The Most Important Takeaways From The Seminar Were:
In air battles, numerical superiority alone does not determine victory; instead, it is the combination of superior training, unwavering morale, and, above all, an indomitable fighting spirit that emerges as the decisive factor.
PAF needs to maintain its legacy with tenacity and hard-hitting capabilities especially in light of India’s vast expenditure on its defense budget.
Training has always been a hall mark of PAF. To remain ahead of its adversaries, PAF has to maintain the highest degree of preparedness; therefore, high-quality combat training has to be ensured at all cost.
Indigenization and self-reliance for having leading edge technologies is an essential for the future of a modern air force. Force goals and developmental strategy has to be in line with National Security and its manifestation.
Pak Navy Says They Will Continue yo Safeguard of The Motherland
Pakistan Navy celebrates 8th September as the Navy Day to pay tribute to the sacrifices of its Officers and Men who demonstrated self-belief, grit-n- guile and absolute faith in Allah SWT to venture into enemy waters and bombarded coastal town of Dwarka.
On this day, we acknowledge the sacrifices of our Shuhadas & Ghazis and honour their bravado and valiant spirit which lifted the morale of the nation against a sinister enemy during the 1965 War.
During Operation Dwarka, codenamed ‘Operation SOMNATH’, Pakistan Navy’s seven major warships proceeded on an audacious mission inside enemy territory and destroyed significant shore installations including Indian radar station and a radio beacon at Dwarka.
PN Flotilla’s attack took the enemy by surprise and dealt a severe blow to the morale of the Indian Navy that not only rattled its defences but paralysed its response. Furthermore, PN Submarine GHAZI posed an ominous threat to the Indian Navy severely restricting its operations and confining it close to the coast.
Pakistan Navy besides ensuring own maritime defence also maintains round the clock presence in the international waters and engages with regional navies to foster interoperability and promotes maritime security at high seas.
Therefore, Pakistan Navy is acquiring state of the art capabilities to meet emerging security challenges and augmenting indigenous capabilities to transition into a strong, agile and reckonable force in the region.
In the present environment, Pakistan Navy has also embarked on nation building initiatives particularly to uplift coastal communities and is making vigorous efforts to prop up Blue Economy.
In this regard, Pakistan Navy organised Pakistan’s first ever Pakistan International Maritime Exhibition & Conference (PIMEC) in February this year, in collaboration with Ministry of Maritime Affairs.
PIMEC witnessed participation of 22 foreign and 121 local exhibitors which is reflective of overwhelming interest towards exploitation of the vast untapped potential of Pakistan’s maritime sector.
Furthermore, Pakistan Navy has launched the pilot project of Pakistan Maritime Science & Technology Park (PMSTP) at Bahria University Karachi Campus, earlier this month. PMSTP aims to focus on maritime education, research, innovation and technology development by bringing together academia, industry, foreign technology firms and state institutions.
These efforts are focused on the development of Blue Economy which holds enormous prospects and given the attention it deserves; it can provide a significant boost to our national economy.
As we observe Navy Day today, let us pay tribute to our Shuhadas and Ghazis for their supreme sacrifices to the nation.
The Officers, CPOs/ Sailors and Civilians of Pakistan Navy reaffirm our resolve to defend our motherland and protect maritime interests against all threats and challenges.
May Allah SWT be our Guide and Protector (Ameen)
PAKISTAN NAVY ZINDABAD PAKISTAN PAINDABAD
