Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said Pakistan had full confidence in its armed forces, which were fully capable to defend the country.
“We are confident that if anyone makes an aggressive move against Pakistan, it would be retaliated by the armed forces with full force,” he said in his address at the induction ceremony of J-10C fighter aircraft to Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The ceremony held at Minhas Air Base Kamra was attended by federal ministers, three services chiefs, Chinese ambassador in Pakistan and members of the diplomatic community. Imran Khan said that a country could remain free and independent until it was able to defend itself. He congratulated the nation on the historic occasion of induction of J-10C aircraft, the medium weight and single-engine fighter jet.
The premier also thanked China for delivering the fighter jets to Pakistan in eight months. Expressing satisfaction that the PAF was fully equipping itself on the lines of modern and indigenous technology, Imran said Pakistan was heading in the right direction towards development and prosperity, says a news report.
He mentioned that the country was witnessing economic growth with record tax revenues and foreign exchange.
He said wealth creation would help the government to strengthen the military capability as well.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu said PAF was prepared and skilled to deter any aggression of the enemy.
He said J-10C is a fully integrated weapon, avionic and combat system and its induction into PAF would further strengthen its professional capabilities. He said the occasion was the testimony to the will of Chinese leadership and support for Pakistan. Earlier, PM Imran Khan flanked by tri-services chiefs inspected the J-10C aircraft and sat in the cockpit where he was given a briefing about the jet.
He also reviewed the guard of honour as the given by a contingent of the Pakistan Air Force. The prime minister witnessed a thrilling fly-past of various formations of aircraft, including the newly inducted J-10C, F-16s, JF-17s and Mirage that showcased a sophisticated array of avionics and weaponry.
After the fly-past, the premier witnessed the landing of five J10C aircraft that have been inducted in the 15 Squadron. J-10C is larger and can be equipped with a bigger active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar than the one used by the JF-17 Block 3. The aircraft can carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15.
