ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army conducted a successful flight test of the ‘Fatah-II’ missile on Wednesday, a statement from the armed forces said, highlighting that the missile can engage targets with high precision and is equipped with a “sophisticated navigation system.”
The South Asian country sees its missile development as a deterrent against nuclear-armed neighbor India. Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947. Both nations have been developing missiles of varying ranges since they conducted nuclear tests in May 1998The flight test was witnessed by senior officers from the tri services as well as scientists and engineers, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army’s media wing, said.
“Pakistan today conducted successful flight test of Fatah-II, equipped with state of the art avionics, sophisticated navigation system and unique flight trajectory,” the ISPR said.
“The weapon system is capable of engaging targets with high precision up to a range of 400 kilometers.”
The ISPR said Pakistan’s president, prime minister, chairman joint chiefs of staff committee and army chief congratulated the troops and scientists who were part of the project on the successful test flight of the missile.
Analysts warn Asia may be sliding into an accelerating arms race as India and Pakistan continue to build their military armors.
Pakistan army conducts successful flight test of missile with ‘sophisticated navigation system’
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Pakistan army conducts successful flight test of missile with ‘sophisticated navigation system’
- ‘Fatah-II’ missile can engage targets with high precision up to 400 kilometers, says Pakistan Army
- Missile is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, unique flight trajectory, says army’s media wing
Pakistan flags funding strain, host state cooperation gaps in UN peacekeeping
- Pakistan says blue helmets remain the most visible symbol of UN commitment to peace
- The country urges member states to pay contributions on time to sustain UN missions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday raised concerns over mounting financial pressures on United Nations peacekeeping operations along with a lack of cooperation from some host countries, warning that the challenges risk undermining the effectiveness and safety of missions worldwide.
Pakistan’s top diplomat at the UN flagged the issues while speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on peacekeeping police components.
Pakistan is one of the world’s top troop-contributing countries and has deployed more than 235,000 peacekeepers to 48 UN missions across four continents over the past eight decades.
A total of 182 of its peacekeepers have also lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.
“We are concerned at the current challenges faced by the United Nations peacekeeping, both financial as well as those arising from lack of host state cooperation,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad told the council. “Pakistan underscores the importance of full cooperation by host States to enable timely deployment of peacekeepers including police components where authorized by the Security Council.”
He noted that UN missions were operating under acute financial stress, leading to capacity reductions that directly affected mandate delivery and the safety of peacekeepers, while UN police units continued to face gaps between authorized strength and actual deployments.
Ahmad urged UN member states to pay their assessed contributions in full and on time to ensure peacekeeping missions remain operationally capable.
“Blue helmets are the most visible symbol of the United Nations commitment to peace and stability,” he said. “Peacekeeping brings relevance and legitimacy to this organization by making a tangible difference in people’s lives.”
Pakistan has contributed both military and police personnel to UN operations, deploying more than 50 formed police units to missions including Haiti, Darfur, Timor-Leste and Côte d’Ivoire, according to Pakistan’s UN mission.
