Pakistan Army | News and Discussions

[Bratva]

RAWALPINDI, Aug 21: A local court in Rawalpindi handed over three army men who were detained by Rawalpindi’ Sadar Baironi police in connection with a murder case to the military authorities on Wednesday.

The three army men, Hawaldar Mohammad Ashraf, Syed Yasir Ali Shah and Naik Tauqeer Hussain, as well as Col Mudassar of Strategic Planning Division (SPD), had allegedly killed a civilian Hamid Nawaz and had seriously injured his brother Nouman Ashiq on August 14 2013 using official weapons.Furthermore, they had allegedly closed down the entire bazaar at Quaid-i-Azam colony near Dhamial by displaying weapons and terrorising the public. The three accused were arrested by the local police at the spot, but Col Mudassar managed to escape.

Following the arrest of the army men, Director SPD Brig Aftab Afzal and Col Fawad Ahmed Malik approached the court of civil judge Ahsan Raza through their counsel and requested custody of the army men.

The SPD counsel told the court that the police could not detain army officials who were working in sensitive organisations. He said under the Army Act, army men could only be investigated by military authorities and if found guilty, could be court-martialled.

He said the detention of army men by the police could result in leakage of sensitive information related to strategic assets.

On the other hand, Colonel (retired) Inamur Rahim, representing the victim’s family, opposed the handing over of army men to the military authorities.

He said the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 empowered officers of the military authority to claim offenders for trial but the police could investigate the matter before handing over the accused.

He said under the army rule and instruction (ARI 2000), the police should be assisted in an investigation against military personnel which fell within the police jurisdiction.

He said military personnel had no special privileges in this aspect and a commanding officer could not impede the arrest or investigation by the civil police.

However, the court decided in favour of the SPD director and handed over the possession of the three army men.

Meanwhile, Col (retired) Sajjad Akhtar Malik, another counsel of the victim’s family, also wrote a letter to the Adjutant General of army in which he alleged that senior SPD officials were impeding investigations in the said murder case.In the letter, he said Brig Aftab Afzal and Col Fawad were attempting to take over the custody of the accused persons using a fake letter.

He referred to the recent proceedings of a missing person case in which the Supreme Court directed the local police to proceed against a serving major of the Military Intelligence (MI).

Mr Malik requested legal action be initiated against the two officers for impeding the investigation process because they had misled the court of law by presenting a fake letter.

Civilian?s murder case: Armymen handed over to military authorities - DAWN.COM

 

[Jango]

The SPD HQ is in CHaklala ain't it?

 

[airomerix]

The SPD HQ is in CHaklala ain't it?

Yeah. Strategic Planning division holds all the funding and power of umbrella over the 3 services. They are not to be trifled with. Or else the other party faces severe repercussions.

 

[Jango]

Yeah. Strategic Planning division holds all the funding and power of umbrella over the 3 services. They are not to be trifled with. Or else the other party faces severe repercussions.

Lol yeah, as one Col put it, 'humari SPD kay kaptaan say bhi phatti hai'!!!

 

[airomerix]

Lol yeah, as one Col put it, 'humari SPD kay kaptaan say bhi phatti hai'!!!

lol. And here a serving brigadier of SPD is being challenged by two retired colonels. How easy.

 

[Bratva]

lol. And here a serving brigadier of SPD is being challenged by two retired colonels. How easy.

And murder of civilian being swept under the rug. Let's see how quickly suo moto wali sarkar takes notice of such thing!

 

[airomerix]

And murder of civilian being swept under the rug. Let's see how quickly suo moto wali sarkar takes notice of such thing!

Unfortunate Pakistan. Thats all I can say.

 

[Zarvan]

Press Release
No PR139/2013-ISPR Dated: September 13, 2013
Rawalpindi - September 13, 2013:
Mr.M Babur HIZLAN,Ambassador of Turkey called on General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC). He remained with the Chairman for some time and discussed matters related to mutual interests.

 

[fatman17]

Malala, Malala – Where is Salala?


30 Friday NOV 2012


POSTED BY ZAAIN BOKHARI IN MILITARY, PAKISTAN


Malala Yousafzai is an extremely brave girl who stood against the oppressors of the present era- the Taliban. She was doing the work which many other people of older age have failed to do so i.e. promoting education. This made her the top target of Taliban and she was attacked on October 9; however, she survived the attack. The assassination attempt and the subsequent developments received worldwide coverage. Nevertheless, the excess of media coverage made her controversial and led to many conspiracy theories (Something not new in our part of the world).

“Malala, Malala – Where is Salala?” were the most significant words shared on the social media during the hype created by media. Unfortunately, these proved to be correct when the day of November 26 passed away with little or no mention of the brutal NATO attack that took place a year ago at Salala Checkpost killing 24 of our finest soldiers.

At the social media, people remembered the sad event. Tributes were paid to fallen soldiers, their pictures were shared. On Twitter, #RememberingSalala was trending all day long, the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the motherland were remembered. I also came across some shocking tweets asking “Who is Salala? What is Salala?”

Things were quite different at the Pakistani media, except for one or two channels, no one made mention of the attack. Dunya channel, the only channel to highlight the heroes of recent military operations, paid a tribute to martyrs of Salala attack. No other channel mentioned or aired a program regarding the attack. But, why should I only blame the media when our government or even the military did not organize any event or ceremony to mark the anniversary of Salala attack. Pity!


“The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.” - Calvin Coolidge


I visited Kharian garrison few weeks back for a military function. Kharian is the ‘home-station’ of 7 Azad Kashmir regiment (7 AK), the unit deployed at Salala. The whole garrison is filled with the portraits of Salala martyrs. One does not simply understand as to why Army did not organize any event when it has given Sitara-e-Jurat (SJ), Pakistan’s third highest military award, to one of the officer martyred during the attack. Note that no SJ has been given to any officer or Jawan during the current War against Terrorism.

“One year ago, the 7 Azad Kashmir Regiment did what it had to do: sacrifice 24 of its finest at Salala. But are we doing what we have to do?” Journalist Wajahat S Khan tweeted on November 26.

So, what are we doing? What are we going to tell Rameen, 2 year-old daughter of Captain Usman Shaheed, when she will be grown up? What are we going to tell the sons and daughters of other 23 soldiers? Is this the way of remembering fallen soldiers? If we are not ready to own our soldiers then why do we expect them to make sacrifices?

 

[Inception-06]

A selam Gents and Ladies

Have the Pakistani Tanks a "Self entrench device" ? I did hear about that from my cousin







What is a self entrench device ?

A small dozer blade attached to the front of an armoured vehicle to enable the vehicle to dig itself in, in order to give better protection.

This device provide the armoured vehicle with the tactical advantages of being able to achieve protection from artillery fire and concealment.

The self-entrenching device usually has two positions – travelling and operating ones.

Traditionally, the Soviet T-series tanks were fitted with self-entrenching devices, while the designers of Western tanks neglected this rather useful capability. Nowadays, however, some of the Western tanks are also fitted with self-entrenching devices.

 

[fatman17]

WASHINGTON: The United States will release $1.6 billion in aid to Pakistan, boosting a flow of assistance that slowed in recent years amid a downturn in relations, an official said Tuesday.



The State Department has notified Congress that it intends to release the funds already budgeted for in previous years including the fiscal year 2012.



The bulk of the funding is made up of $1.38 billion in military aid, State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said. The rest is $260.5 million in civilian aid.

F-16 MLU kits.
Bell 412EP helos
PAF spare parts
M113 APC's
Cobra 20mm ammo/spares
Sniper pods
CT equipment - NVG's etc.
Harpoon missiles
CWIS platforms

 

[fatman17]

Analysts Cautious Over US Security Assistance Resumption for Pakistan

Oct. 22, 2013 - 03:53PM | By USMAN ANSARI


US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the State Department in Washington on Sunday.


ISLAMABAD — Analysts are urging caution and do not expect a flood of US equipment for Pakistan’s military with the resumption of security assistance between the two countries.

The aid is part of a reported US $1.6 billion in economic and military aid to Pakistan to be released during Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the US this week.

Other figures for military aid to Pakistan announced during July and August amount to nearly $1.4 billion, but all the figures being discussed will likely take years to spend.

Former Australian defense attache to Islamabad, Brian Cloughley, highlights the generally strained Pak-US relationship, despite the photo opportunities emanating from Sharif’s ongoing visit.

Cloughley is also unconvinced this apparent thaw in the run up to the US exit from Afghanistan, which requires use of transport routes running through Pakistan, will lead to more US military equipment for Pakistan.

“I think the matter of weapons’ supplies is open to doubt,” he said.

Similarly, Robert Hathaway, director of the Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, believes there is unlikely to be a full resumption of supplies of military equipment or “almost certainly not as Pakistan would define that term.”

He does expect some movement on the matter, however, as “Washington, including and perhaps particularly the Pentagon, is keen to rebuild its ties with Pakistan and the Pakistani defense establishment. So we can expect some opening of the spigot.”

Even this, however, will have to be carefully grounded in reality for both sides.

“The difficult part will be to keep Pakistani expectations moderate, and to discourage US expectations that a resumption of arms transfers will buy Washington much leverage over Pakistan,” he said.

Whatever arms transfers can be expected are also unlikely to be the high tech weapon systems Pakistan needs, and especially not in the near term.

“It’s unrealistic to think that the US would give any country a blank check on what arms Washington will provide it,” Hathaway said. “This is especially true in a bilateral relationship as tortured as this one has been. Rebuilding trust will be a task of many years.”

He therefore cautioned analysts should “look for baby steps in the near term.”

Just what weapon systems Pakistan has on its wish list and what is possible or probable in terms of being supplied by the US differ starkly.

Cloughley highlights a well-reported Pakistani requirement that would be top of the military’s wish list.

“One main requirement at the moment is expansion/replacement of the attack helicopter asset,” he said.

“The AH-1F/S aircraft are racking up flying hours in demanding flying conditions, and maintenance is becoming increasingly difficult. There is no need for the [AH-1Z] as a replacement, although the US might be tempted to offer it on reasonable terms, if only to stop any arrangements that Pakistan may be contemplating with Turkey for supply of the T-129.”

The US has reportedly offered a package of helicopters to Pakistan including UH-60 Black Hawks, but acquisition of the Bell AH-1Z Viper is also believed to have been discussed.

Defense News has been unable to obtain any further details of these negotiations from Pakistan’s Defence Ministry, or the US Embassy in Islamabad.

Turkey, however, hopes to secure an order for the TAI T-129 gunship, and is offering three at no cost and possible local assembly. Whether Pakistan can accept even these generous terms depends on improvements in its fragile economy.

Pakistan’s Navy is also chronically short of equipment. However, Cloughley sees an obvious obstacle to the US meeting these requirements.

“Frigates could be a possibility, but India would object, and the US wants to keep India on track commercially,” he said.

Cloughley believes there could be reluctance from the Pakistani military itself, in spite of what the US could supply.

“Really, supply of almost anything is possible, except advanced [information technology], but much depends on price and priorities. The three armed services are not happy with the US and would be content to reduce reliance on it for military equipment,” he said.

Likewise, analyst Usman Shabbir of the Pakistan Military Consortium think tank believes the military will carefully consider what equipment it will seek from the US.

“I think Pakistan would go for items that offer most ‘bang for buck’ and that it can’t get from other sources,” he said. “Also, what it would later be able to support locally going forward.”

He believes what was acquired would “most likely be standoff ammunition [air-to-air and/or air-to-ground] along with spares and parts for the existing inventory [of US-supplied equipment].”

He draws a line through the possibility of acquisitions of major defense systems, but makes a possible exception for two specific ones.

“I don’t think there are going to be any big items other than more used F-16s or AH-1Z,” he said.

 

[fatman17]

US quietly releasing $1.6B in Pakistan assistance

By BRADLEY KLAPPER
The Associated Press


Published: October 19, 2013

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has quietly decided to release more than $1.6 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan that was suspended when relations between the two countries disintegrated over the covert raid that killed Osama bin Laden and deadly U.S. airstrikes against Pakistani soldiers.

Officials and congressional aides said ties have improved enough to allow the money to flow again.

American and NATO supply routes to Afghanistan are open. Controversial U.S. drone strikes are down. The U.S. and Pakistan recently announced the restart of their "strategic dialogue" after a long pause. Pakistan's new prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, is traveling to Washington for talks this coming week with President Barack Obama.

But in a summer dominated by foreign policy debates over the coup in Egypt and chemical weapons attacks in Syria, the U.S. hasn't promoted its revamped aid relationship with Pakistan. Neither has Pakistan.

The silence reflects the lingering mutual suspicions between the two.

The Pakistanis do not like being seen as dependent on their heavy-handed partners. The Americans are uncomfortable highlighting the billions provided to a government that is plagued by corruption and perceived as often duplicitous in fighting terrorism.

Congress has cleared most of the money, and it should start moving early next year, officials and congressional aides said.

Over three weeks in July and August, the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development informed Congress that it planned to restart a wide range of assistance, mostly dedicated to helping Pakistan fight terrorism. The U.S. sees that effort as essential as it withdraws troops from neighboring Afghanistan next year and tries to leave a stable government behind.

Other funds focus on a range of items, including help for Pakistani law enforcement and a multibillion-dollar dam in disputed territory.

U.S.-Pakistani relations have weathered numerous crises in recent years. There was a months-long legal battle over a CIA contractor who killed two Pakistanis, in addition to the fallout from bin Laden's killing in the Pakistani military town of Abbottabad in May 2011. The Pakistani government was outraged that it received no advance warning of the Navy SEAL raid on bin Laden's compound.

Adding to the mistrust, the U.S. mistakenly killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers in November 2011. Islamabad responded by shutting land supply routes for troops in Afghanistan until it received a U.S. apology seven months later.

The State Department told Congress that the U.S. hadn't conducted any significant military financing for Pakistan since the "challenging and rapidly changing period of U.S.-Pakistan relations" in 2011 and 2012. The department stressed the importance now of enhancing Pakistan's anti-terrorism capabilities through better communications, night vision capabilities, maritime security and precision striking with F16 fighter jets.

The department told Congress on July 25 that it would spend $295 million to help Pakistan's military. Twelve days later it announced $386 million more. A pair of notifications arriving on Aug. 13 and worth $705 million centered on helping Pakistani troops and air forces operating in the militant hotbeds of western Pakistan, and other counterinsurgency efforts.

The administration had until the end of September to provide Congress with "reprogramming" plans at the risk of forfeiting some of the money, which spans federal budgets from 2009-2013.

State Department officials said the renewal of aid wasn't determined by any single event. But they noted a confluence of signs of greater cooperation, from Pakistan's improved commitment to stamping out explosives manufacturing to its recent counterterror offensive in areas bordering Afghanistan that have served as a primary sanctuary for the Taliban.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly about the aid relationship ahead of Sharif's visit. They said the money would start reaching Pakistan in 2014 but take several years to disburse fully.

"Pakistan's long-term stability is of critical national security interest to the U.S., so we remain committed to helping achieve a more secure, democratic and prosperous state, including through continued civilian and military assistance," said Dan Feldman, the State Department's deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said the assistance plan will deliver results for both countries and enhance Pakistan's ability to fight terrorism.

In its notifications to Congress, the department described fighting terrorism as a mutual concern but said little about the will of Pakistan's government, army and intelligence services to crack down on militant groups that often have operated with impunity in Pakistan while wreaking havoc on U.S. and international forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Top American officials have regularly questioned Pakistan's commitment to counterterrorism.

In 2011, Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the militant Haqqani network as a "veritable arm" of Pakistani intelligence. Lawmakers and administration officials have cited Pakistani support for the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and other militant groups.

In September, the administration sent officials from multiple agencies for closed-doors briefings with the House and Senate foreign relations committees, officials and congressional aides said.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has cleared all of the notifications. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is reviewing a $280 million chunk of military financing, Senate aides said. Aides spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk publicly on the matter.

"The committee held up the projects to get more information and express concerns," said the office of Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the House panel's chairman. "Though they went forward, the committee continues its close oversight."

While Washington has publicly challenged Islamabad to step up its fight against militant groups, Pakistan's biggest complaint has been the huge surge in drone strikes on terrorist targets, which Pakistanis see as violations of their sovereignty. The number of attacks has dropped dramatically this year.

The countries say they're now moving past the flaps and mishaps that soured their partnership in recent years. During an August trip to Pakistan, Secretary of State John Kerry announced the restart of a high-level "strategic dialogue" with Pakistan on fighting terrorism, controlling borders and fostering investment.

Among the economic aid programs included in the U.S. package, support for the Diamer-Basha dam near Pakistan's unresolved border with India has the potential for controversy and tremendous benefit.

Pakistan's government has been unable to secure money for the project from the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank is waiting to hear from the United States and India before providing financing to help construction. The dam faces massive funding shortfalls.

In its July 24 notification to Congress, USAID said the project could cost up to $15 billion and take a decade to complete. The agency promised only to provide "financial and technical assistance" for studies, including on environmental and social aspects, while expressing hope the dam could be transformative for a country with chronic power shortages. State Department officials put the bill for the studies at $20 million.

If the dam were ultimately built, USAID wrote, it could provide electricity for 60 million people and 1 million acres of crop land, and provide a ready supply of water for millions more. It noted that Pakistani officials have sought American support at the "highest levels."

Despite amounting to just a small portion of the overall U.S. aid package, congressional aides said Pakistan's government has lobbied particularly hard for the dam money to be unlocked.

Pakistan's embassy in Washington refused to comment on the aid or say if Sharif would bring up any specific programs in talks at the White House.

 

[HAIDER]

Just what weapon systems Pakistan has on its wish list and what is possible or probable in terms of being supplied by the US differ starkly.

Cloughley highlights a well-reported Pakistani requirement that would be top of the military’s wish list.

“One main requirement at the moment is expansion/replacement of the attack helicopter asset,” he said.

“The AH-1F/S aircraft are racking up flying hours in demanding flying conditions, and maintenance is becoming increasingly difficult. There is no need for the [AH-1Z] as a replacement, although the US might be tempted to offer it on reasonable terms, if only to stop any arrangements that Pakistan may be contemplating with Turkey for supply of the T-129.”

The US has reportedly offered a package of helicopters to Pakistan including UH-60 Black Hawks, but acquisition of the Bell AH-1Z Viper is also believed to have been discussed.

Defense News has been unable to obtain any further details of these negotiations from Pakistan’s Defence Ministry, or the US Embassy in Islamabad.

Turkey, however, hopes to secure an order for the TAI T-129 gunship, and is offering three at no cost and possible local assembly. Whether Pakistan can accept even these generous terms depends on improvements in its fragile economy.
http://www.defensenews.com/article/...er-US-Security-Assistance-Resumption-Pakistan

 

[Nav]

it will be better for Pakistan to co-produce choppers with either turkey or China , America is giving us the 2nd hand machinery