18 September 2004	Saturday	02 Shaban 1425

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

KARACHI, Sept 17: Pakistan will soon end the defence imbalance in South Asia, according to Vice-Chief of Army Staff Gen Muhammad Yousaf Khan. "Our defence is already impregnable and we are already fully capable of safeguarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the motherland.

A 10-year national defence plan announced by President General Pervez Musharraf is being implemented," Gen Yousaf said. Pakistan was also on the right track to achieve complete self-reliance in defence production, PPI news agency quoted him as saying.

He was talking to newsmen and addressing members of the armed forces who took part in a massive demonstration marking the conclusion on Friday of the third International Defence Exhibition and Seminar Ideas 2004 at the Pakistan Air Force Firing Range, Sonmiani, in Balochistan.

OUR STAFF REPORTER ADDS: The armed forces demonstrated the firepower of the best of the indigenously developed defence hardware. The firing range, about 75 kilometres off Karachi, resounded with the thunder of guns as Al Khalid and Al Zarrar tanks pounded far-off targets with remarkable precision.

As spectators reached for cotton-wool balls for their ears as the firing commenced, a commentator said that Al Zarrar tanks, built at the Heavy Industries complex in Taxila, were an upgraded version of the old T-59s. He added that the tanks, equipped with lethal 125- millimetre bore weapon systems, had joined the country's armoury a year ago.

As Al Zarrar tanks rolled off the firing range amid applause, guided missiles mounted on vehicles - imaginatively called Baktar Shikan - zoomed in on the targets at least 3,000 metres away from the spectators.

The commentator heaped praises on gunners in whose dexterous hands the precision weapons had become so dreadfully lethal. Enumerating the features of Baktar Shikan, the commentator said that their rate of fire was two to three rounds per minute and their mean flying speed was 220 metres per second.

The commentator urged the spectators to put their hands together as Al Khalid tanks, also manufactured at the Taxila complex, emerged on the firing range. He explained that Al Khalid tanks, equipped with 125-millimetre smooth bore guns and 1,200-HP multi-fuel turbo-charged diesel engines, had thermal imagers, geo-positioning system-based land navigation and frequency hopping systems.

Next to appear on the firing range were Trawl Anti-Mine (TAM) systems mounted on chassis of Tank T-55. The spectators' lounge shook when the TAMs cleared away mines which exploded with deafening sound but failed to destroy the vehicle.

Aircraft flying in formation appeared on the horizon shortly thereafter. Two A5-3 aircraft flew over the heads of the spectators as the country's flag and an emblem of the defence exhibition streamed out behind them. Manufactured at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Super Mushak won the applause.

The commentator said that Super Mushak was the advanced version of the AMF Mushak, originally known as SAAB MFI-17. They are powered by the Textron Lycoming 260-HP engine with protection against hot and humid environment and have a speed of 145 knots in level flights. Pakistan has exported Super Mushak to Qatar, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

Karakoram-8, commonly known as K-8 and mostly used for reconnaissance missions, looped the loop and won the admiration of the spectators who clapped enthusiastically. F-7P aircraft strafed targets on the ground with great precision before flying away. Mirage-III aircraft also dropped pre-fragmented bombs on targets on the ground. They were shortly followed by F-16s.

Besides Gen Yousaf, those who witnessed the spectacle included Balochistan Governor Owais Ghani and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Mohammad Aziz Khan.

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)