Military

Pakistan armed forces

The armed forces of Pakistan are the seventh-largest in the world in terms of active forces. The three main branches are the Army, Navy and the Air Force, supported by a number of paramilitary forces. The National Command Authority is responsible for exercising employment, development control of all strategic nuclear organisations and for Pakistan's nuclear doctrine. Pakistan's defence forces maintain close military relations with China and the United States and predominantly import military equipments from these two countries. The defence forces of China and Pakistan also organise joint military exercises.

The Pakistan Army came into existence after independence in 1947 and is headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistani military establishment has frequently been involved in the politics of Pakistan since its inception. It has an active force of about 612,000 personnel and 513,000 men in reserve. Conscription may be introduced in times of emergency, but it has never been imposed.

A team of Pakistani Special Service Wing soldiers during training

Since independence, the Army has been involved in four wars with neighbouring India. The Pakistan military engaged in combat operations for the first time in the First Kashmir War, gaining control of what is now Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan and India were at war again in 1965 and in 1971. In 1999, Pakistan was involved in the Kargil War. The army has also been engaged in several skirmishes with Afghanistan on the western border; in 1961, it repelled a majorAfghan incursion. During the Soviet–Afghan war, Pakistan shot down several intruding pro-Soviet Afghan communist aircraft and provided covert support to factions of the Afghan mujahideen through the Inter-Services Intelligence agency. Apart from conflicts, the Army has been an active participant inUnited Nations peacekeeping missions and played a major role in rescuing trapped American soldiers from Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 in Operation Gothic Serpent. Pakistani armed forces are the second largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions.

PNS Shah Jahan and PNS Tippu Sultanduring a Pakistan Navy drill

Pakistan maintained divisions and brigade strength presences in some of the Arab countries particularly during the Arab–Israeli Wars. During the Six-Day War in 1967 and Yom Kippur War in October 1973 PAF pilots volunteered to go to the Middle East to support Egypt and Syria in a state of war against Israel; Air Force pilots shot down ten Israeli planes in the Six-Day WarIn 1979, Pakistani SSG commandos were rushed to help assist Saudi forces in Makkah on the Saudi government's request to lead the operation of the Grand Mosque Seizure. In 1991 Pakistan got involved with the Gulf War and sent 5,000 troops as part of a U.S.-led coalition, specifically for the defense of Saudi Arabia.

From 2001, the Pakistan Armed Forces have been engaged in a war in North-West Pakistan mainly against the TTP. The major operations undertaken by the Army include Operation Black Thunderstorm and Operation Rah-e-Nijat.