When the hour came to mark its 79th Independence Day, Pakistan opened a new Army Rocket Force Command, whose creation most observers saw as an attempt to counterbalance India’s expansion of missile and conventional strike capabilities.

The capital Islamabad was illuminated with the launch ceremony of the unit, which was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, President Asif Ali Zardari, and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir along with Türkiye and Azerbaijan military delegations. The new unit, Sharif stated, would be equipped with “modern technology” and could attack the enemies from “all sides,” significantly boosting the country’s conventional war capacity.

The force would be another stride toward expanding the conventional war powers of Pakistan,” Sharif said, adding that it would have a separate command to provide the war deployment and operational condition to the missiles. No numbers were given for the size, range, and quantity of the missile depots, but senior security officials said the Rocket Force would be a central player in whatever situation there is conventional war.

Security officials and experts were quick to justify the move in light of Pakistan’s history of aggression toward neighbor India. The two nuclear powers have fought three times since 1947—two of them over the disputed territory of Kashmir—and each has been developing its air defense capabilities and missile arsenal in recent years. The senior security official, who briefed on condition of anonymity, was blunt: “It is obvious that it is meant for India.”

The clashes are in the midst of a tense atmosphere of local strain. India and Pakistan weathered their worst military clash in decades in May last involving warplanes, drones, and missiles. The clashes followed a deadly April attack on Indian-held Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. Islamabad was accused by New Delhi of supporting the militants, which it hotly denied.

Sharif maintained that the nuclear programme of Pakistan had been created for defense purposes only, and they had to retaliate against Indian nuclear capability. “Our nuclear weapons are not for aggression,” he quoted, recalling Abdul Qadeer Khan’s legacy as self-styled father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. The prime minister also thanked the United States, specifically outgoing President Donald J. Trump, for facilitating a ceasefire during the May standoff and asked Washington to extend greater effort towards ending the Kashmir problem “in conformity with UN resolutions.”.

Sharif, in his address, also invited the friends such as Türkiye, China, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates for economic assistance and amicable diplomacy. The activities were conducted with the national motto of Marka-e-Haq—i.e., “Battle for Righteousness” and were meant to mirror the oneness, sacrifices, and vigor of Pakistan.

The Indian government, also, was diplomatic in its reaction. New Delhi described the release as “a well-known modus operandi of Pakistani leadership to whip up anti-India rhetoric to cover up their own failures” by a foreign ministry spokesman.

Strategic minds observe that the increase in Rocket Force could be an indicator of Pakistan seeking to create an accelerated reaction strike force with conventional missile capability, such as being pursued in India and China. The forces are intended to conduct surgical strikes against enemy military targets below the nuclear retaliation line but represent new escalation threats.

For Islamabad, the action is political posturing and technologic ambition. It’s a message to India that Pakistan’s missile ambitions will not be deterred, as much as it is a domestic symbolic message of deterrence and will on a symbolic national holiday. But for the subcontinent, though, it’s a reminder that the tight security balance of South Asia is again pushed to the limit—one in which missiles, and not diplomacy, are overhanging.