RAWALPINDI – General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), today emphatically stated that Pakistan relied entirely on its own indigenous resources during the recent 96-hour military confrontation with India, dispelling notions of external assistance.
In an interview with a British media outlet, General Mirza directly addressed claims, particularly from Indian media, suggesting that Pakistan received foreign support, including satellite intelligence from allies like China. “The equipment we used was either developed domestically or acquired beforehand,” he asserted. “But in real-time, it was Pakistan’s own capability that came into play. We fought the entire conflict with our own resources. No help came from anywhere.”
The CJCSC’s remarks offer a rare official glimpse into the brief but intense military engagement between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. While he did not specify the exact timing or nature of the conflict, he highlighted a significant shift in its dynamics compared to past skirmishes. “This time the borders were calm, but the cities were under fire,” he noted, warning that future conflicts may not be confined to traditional disputed zones like Kashmir but could impact civilian areas across both nations.
General Mirza also expressed concern over the absence of a robust and systematic mechanism for resolving disputes between Pakistan and India. He emphasized that current emergency communications, solely reliant on the Director General Military Operations (DGMO) hotline, are insufficient during high-intensity crises. He further cautioned that the international community has increasingly limited time to intervene when dealing with “extremist mindsets.”
Pakistan has a long-standing objective of achieving self-reliance in its defense industry, a goal reinforced by past conflicts and arms embargoes. While the nation has historically acquired military equipment from various countries, including China and some European nations, there has been a continuous effort to boost domestic production of arms, ammunition, and other defense systems.
