Pakistan army chief observes military’s integrated fire, battle maneuvers in Rahim Yar Khan

Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir witnessed integrated fire and battle maneuvers of various elements of the Pakistani military during an exercise in Rahim Yar Khan on March 9, 2024. (Military's media wing)
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Updated 09 March 2024
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Pakistan army chief observes military’s integrated fire, battle maneuvers in Rahim Yar Khan

  • The aim of the exercise was to enhance skills, battlefield procedures to meet future challenges, the Pakistani military says
  • Army Chief Gen Asim Munir lauded participating troops for their training standards, operational preparedness and high morale

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir witnessed integrated fire and battle maneuvers of various elements of the Pakistani military during an exercise in Rahim Yar Khan in the eastern Punjab province, the military said on Saturday.

The aim of the exercise was to enhance professional skills and battlefield procedures required to meet future challenges in an operational environment, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement.

The army chief witnessed integrated fire and battle maneuvers involving armor, infantry, mechanized infantry, artillery and air defense divisions as well as anti-tank guided missiles. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft also participated in the exercise.

“Pakistan Armed Forces, with support of the nation, are fully prepared to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our motherland against full spectrum of threat,” Gen Munir was quoted as telling soldiers at the Rahim Yar Khan training field.

The exercise also incorporated “electronic warfare” capabilities and information operations required to subdue the enemy communication capabilities and disinformation in times of war, according to the ISPR.

The army chief spent the day with troops and lauded their training standards, operational preparedness and high morale. He said the armed forces must always remain prepared against any misadventure by the enemy.

The Pakistani military routinely holds training exercises to prepare itself against conventional and unconventional threats in the changing regional and global security environment.


Pakistan stock market sheds over 2,000 points amid regional tensions

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Pakistan stock market sheds over 2,000 points amid regional tensions

  • KSE-100 index lost 2,025.53 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 182,384.14
  • The development comes amid public unrest in Iran, possibility of a US strike

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) fell sharply and lost more than 2,000 points during the intraday trade on Monday, with analysts blaming the slump on geopolitical uncertainty linked to heightened tensions in the region.

The benchmark KSE-100 index lost 2,025.53 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 182,384.14 points, down from 184,409.67 points at the weekend close, according to PSX data.

The development came amid public unrest in Iran over worsening economic conditions, with the death toll reaching nearly 550 and the government arresting more than 10,600 people in a crackdown.

US President Donald Trump said late Sunday his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran but cautioned he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues arrests.

“[Pakistan] stocks slumped on geopolitical uncertainty,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News. “Weak global equities, political noise, and security unrest played a catalyst role in selling activity at PSX.”

Meanwhile, Pakistani market research firm Topline Securities said activity slowed noticeably as buying interest from local funds eased after last week’s strong rally.

“With the market having advanced nearly 3 percent on a WoW (week on week) basis, investors chose to lock in gains, resulting in broad-based profit-taking during the session,” it said on X.

“The pullback appears to be a healthy consolidation after the recent sharp up-move, rather than a shift in the market’s underlying sentiment.”

It said that a total of 1,055 million shares were traded at the market on Monday, with Fauji Foods Limited (FFL) topping the volume chart with 65.6 million shares.

Pakistan’s stock market has gained momentum in recent months as broad institutional buying boosted investor confidence amid ongoing economic reforms under international lending programs.

Around 135,000 new investors have joined the PSX over the last 18 months. Last week, Pakistani stocks climbed to a fresh all-time high with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing the 186,000-point mark for the first time ever.