Russia Unveiled New 5th Generation Fighter Jet

 

By News Desk

Russia has unveiled a new 5th generation fighter jet earlier in this week. It is a single engine fighter just like American F-35 Lightening II. 

Russia is planning to showcase the fighter on 26th July 2021 during MAKS 2021 military hardware exhibition in Moscow.

It is believed that this new stealth fighter carries the same power plant which powers first Russian 5th gen fighter jet SU-57 Felon. 

Single engine 5th generation fighter jet of Russia would enable Russian air force to compete with NATO in next generation fighter era as it is going to play a critical role in overall balance of air power in Europe and Asia.

China is already in the race of producing 5th generation fighters. It has produced heavy J-20 Mighty Dragon and medium weight J-31. Both of these are though twin engine unlike American F-35 or this new Russian fighter. 

Chinese Troops and Turkish Military Band to Participate in Pakistan Day Parade: ISPR

ISPR, on Monday, announced that Chinese troops and Turkish military bands will participate in Pakistan Day parade which is to be held on 23rd of this month in Islamabad.

DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor stated that Chinese Army troops will arrive in Islamabad to participate in Pakistan Day celebrations. A Turkish military band will also participate in the parade.

The parade is organized by joint staff headquarters in Rawalpindi, which oversees the three armed forces of Pakistan.Pakistan in 2015, held its first Pakistan Day parade after a hiatus of seven years. The display of pageantry aimed at showing the country has the upper hand in the fight against terrorists as the nation reeled from the worst militant attack in its history as 142 children were killed an army-run school in Peshawar.

The decision to invite friendly countries in national day parade is a significant move by Islamabad in the context of Indian diplomatic overtures to isolate Pakistan in the international community. This is not the only occasion when Pakistan is going to use its military diplomacy to thwart the perception of being isolated globally. Last year, Pakistan held international PACES multilateral military games in Lahore in which troops from 16 nations participated

Al-Qaeda Regrouping and Implications for Pakistan

By Tariq Niaz

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. This Sun Tzu philosophy should have been the key to take on the combined Arab Afghan tribal militancy instead after 9/11 US led allies preferred use of lethal force. It is almost five years now that Osama Bin Laden was killed in a US raid in Abbottabad. In its immediate aftermath there have been many more killings of Al-Qaeda’s key field commander considered number three and four in the ranking i.e. Abu Yahya Al-Libi and Attiya Abdur Rahman al Libi. After Osama, Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri the then number two came up as an obvious choice to lead Al-Qaeda which also initiated its transition from Arab to an Egyptian Akhwan dominated one. This change of leadership had drastic political and financial impact on the organization which was once flag bearer of militancy in the region.      

Osama trusted lieutenants used to be from Libya, Yemen Syria or Iraq and very few from Egypt. This Arab dominance was instrumental in creating massive appeal for funding and recruitment amongst tribal Arabs. Due to his Egyptian background, Dr Zawahiri failed to maintain this support base. Gradual loosening of command and control provided space to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which not only moved the center of struggle from Khorasan to the valley of two rivers but also took over effective control of flow of funds emanating from private sources in the entire Arab world. ISIS kept pace with emerging requirements of Sunni Salfi ideology and focused its war on near enemy against Al-Qaeda approach of far enemy first. Due to Pakistan Army operation in the lawless FATA and US sustained drone campaign in both Afghanistan and Pakistan strength of Pakistani Taliban was decimated. During 2014, Zawahiri announced formation of another franchise Al-Qaeda in Indian subcontinent (AQIS), an effort to spread militancy in Pakistan, India and beyond from the port city of Karachi. 

Formation of this new franchise raised many questions. Was Al-Qaeda shifting its focus from Afghanistan and Iran to Pakistan, India and beyond thus leaving its Afghan stronghold to ISIS? Had it purposely or under duress surrendered Khorasan to the ISIS thus facilitating encirclement of Iran? Was Al-Qaeda trying to establish itself in settled areas where availability of organized militant networks can be more useful to its future global designs? All question aside, the latest Al-Qaeda move of concentrating in mega city like Karachi can have dreadful implications for the entire South Asia in general and Karachi in particular.  

Al-Qaeda appeal to youth was centered on its ideology of following pious ancestors (Salaf) and establishing Islamic Caliphate to enforce Sharia. That seems intact especially in settled areas of Pakistan where it targets educated youths to fill its ranks. The two terror incidents of Parade Lane at Rawalpindi and Safoora Goth in Karachi in which the facilitators were mostly from educated families vindicate the assertion. The facilitator network in Islamabad and Karachi played an effective role for the foot soldiers brought from FATA to conduct the killings. Karachi, due to ineffective policing, governance issues, political rivalries and social division on ethnic, linguistic and sectarian lines has turned into a lawless paradise for criminals. AQIS is fast gaining grounds in Karachi thanks largely to its vast network of Madrassas and sympathizers. Local Al-Qaeda leadership is not to be seen in prominence but foot soldiers of their affiliate are active in target killings, abduction and ransom crimes. AQIS ranks will soon be battle hardened to undertake larger Trans frontier operations.  Where Al-Qaeda would strike next and what it aims to do in South Asia especially in the backdrop of worsening Pak-India relations is a question likely to bring nightmares to the counter-terrorism experts. 

Can Al-Qaeda do this alone or it will team up with local militant organizations like Lashkar e Jhangvi or Urban Taliban networks will be interesting to watch in the near future. Urban Karachi provide  wide choice to Al-Qaeda to penetrate nontraditional recruitment grounds including Mohajir, Bengali and other immigrants communities to fight for the enforcement of sharia. AQIS presence is like an umbrella and its alliance with the local militant groups is evident from the rising intensity in target killing, abduction and ransom crimes in Karachi. AQIS major operation in the city was its attempted hijacking of Pakistani Navy vessel from the port of Karachi in September 2014. Recent upsurge in target killing, abduction and ransom crimes indicate that Al-Qaeda alliance with the local militant organization and criminal gangs is complete. AQIS is likely raise crimes intensity systematically and a particular sectarian group will be targeted in Karachi to draw both Sunni and Shia against each other. This is start of a bigger terror campaign with possible targets outside Pakistani borders in the near future to destroy the regional peace and harmony.
About Author:

Author is a freelance writer. He gained firsthand experience in security and counterterrorism and is expert in this domain with years of professional experience. He mostly writes about security issues and counter terrorism challenges posed to the state of Pakistan.  He can be reached at niaz_tariq@yahoo.com

Nucleus of Indian Foreign Policy: Isolating Pakistan & Beyond!

By Shahzad Masood Roomi

Indian Prime Minister’s visit to the US was yet another vivid display of Indian foreign policy which is being driven by the Hindutva-inspired ultra-nationalism and hegemonic mindset where Pakistan is being considered an ultimate challenge in Indian ambitions of becoming a regional power hence needs to be dealt with.

While addressing to joint session of the US congress on 8^th of June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it crystal that the idea of isolating Pakistan, under the pretext of harboring terrorism, is the nucleus of Indian foreign policy but that is not the only objective India is eying as far as “fixing” Pakistan is concerned. India wants world against and at war with Pakistan. The text of Modi’s speech leaves very little to imagine other than that, this has become ‘the strategic’ goal of India. 

Inching Towards Showdown

By Tariq Niaz Bhatti

Recent elimination of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, Amir of Afghan Taliban in a Drone strike speaks of US administration frustration in the ongoing protracted war in Afghanistan. Reportedly it was daylight Drone attack but a close look at the scattered evidence on the site of incident, tells a different story, a mismatch to the official version. But alleged drone strike vindicates the US unilateralism; the reluctance to be bound by rules made for others. The New World Order and its enforcement requires Imperial US power to be used to secure economic, political and military gains and ward off security threat to its economic and military interests all over the globe. Hence, the US forces are found operating in Syria and Iraq to recapture the areas lost to self-proclaimed Jihadist groups like ISIS and are planning to send troops in Libya to stabilize the security situation there.

Chabahar Port- A joint Iran- India Initiative to Outsmart Gwadar

By Tariq Niaz

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Iran in late May and signed a series of twelve memorandums of understanding (MOU) which centered upon the Iranian Port of Chabahar. In addition to bilateral MOUs, PM Modi also signed a trilateral transit agreement with Iran and Afghanistan which allows Indian goods to reach Afghanistan through Iran. The expanding Indian economic cooperation with Iran reflect on its changing foreign policy initiatives in the fast evolving geopolitics of the region and its response to much hyped China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and development of Gwadar Port in Baluchistan. 

India's Maritime Strategy: Fishing in Troubled Waters

 

By Shahzad Masood Roomi

India has finally decided to fish in troubled waters of South China Sea in order to showcase her maritime power projection capabilities. According to media reports, the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet has sailed out, on 18th May, on an "operational deployment" to the South China and North West Pacific. This operational deployment is significant development in the contentious geography of South China Sea which has become hotbed of strategic maritime competition between China and the US and her allies.