PTI Islamabad

Pakistan has announced the creation of a new force - the Army Rocket Force Command - equipped with modern technology and intended to serve as a "milestone" in strengthening its combat capabilities.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the announcement at an event late Wednesday night to mark the 79th Independence Day and commemorate the recent four-day military confrontation with India.

"On this occasion, today, I announce the formation of the Army Rocket Force Command," Prime Minister Sharif said at the event attended by President Asif Ali Zardari, the three services chiefs, and national and foreign dignitaries.

"Equipped with modern technology and capable of targeting the enemy from every direction, this force will prove another milestone in further strengthening our conventional war capabilities," he said.

He, however, provided no further details about the new force or its responsibilities.

Pakistan's new force command is apparently inspired by its all-weather ally China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, which controls arsenal of land-based ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles - both nuclear and conventional.

Sharif's announcement came days after Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's nuclear threat against India from US soil and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's remarks that if India forces Pakistan into war, the nation will not back down.