Article by: Izmi Herlani

At Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan graduation parade, a moment of national significance unfolded, blending tradition and transformation into a single event. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu’s remarks to the graduating Officers were charged with purpose, offering a clear vision of a Force that not only safeguards Pakistan’s skies, but now redefines airpower and Multi-Domain Warfare across South Asia. His address distilled an era-defining conflict, endorsed the nation’s evolving strategic posture and boldly charted the course of PAF’s modernization.

From the outset, the Air Chief made clear that the graduates were stepping into a very different Air Force from the one their predecessors inherited. He reminded them that they were entering a Force “on the rise—battle-tested, technologically resurgent and globally acknowledged” a description grounded in operational experience rather than aspiration. He underlined that “the trust Pakistan places in its Armed Forces is earned through decades of sacrifice, professionalism and devotion to duty,” assuring the nation that PAF will remain “Second to None and a symbol of pride for the nation.” 

At the core of this reality lies Marka-e-Haq (Bunyanum Marsoos), the conflict that has become a defining reference point for air warfare in the region. The events of 06–07 May, when a numerically superior adversary attempted to impose its will across Pakistan’s airspace, continue to be dissected in professional circles. That attempt met an Air Force operating with a rare combination of speed, precision and doctrinal clarity. In what many analysts have described as one of the longest and most intense Beyond-Visual-Range air battles of the 21st century, PAF engaged, outmanoeuvred and, in several decisive cases, shot down some of the adversary’s most advanced aircraft, including Rafale, Su‑30MKI, MiG‑29 and Mirage‑2000 fighters. This was not a fortunate anomaly; it was the visible outcome of years of quiet, focused modernization.

ACM Sidhu highlighted how, for the first time in its history, PAF executed Full-Spectrum Multi-Domain warfare, fusing Kinetic operations in the air with Non-Kinetic effects in the Electromagnetic Spectrum, Cyberspace and space-enabled situational awareness. Among the most consequential outcomes was the effective neutralisation of a highly publicised S-400 Air Defence System, long promoted as a regional “game-changer.” Its paralysis underscored two stark truths: technological arrogance is no substitute for operational mastery and the intelligent, indigenous integration of Electronic Warfare, Cyber Tools and Low-Observable Platforms can defeat even the most acclaimed air defence architectures.

Behind this performance lay a deliberate reorientation of priorities. Confronted with fiscal constraints and an increasingly complex threat environment, PAF moved away from a narrow, platform-centric approach towards a capability-centric modernization framework. Through a carefully sequenced Smart Induction Program, the service shifted investment towards Drones and Loitering Munitions, indigenous Electronic Warfare Suites, space-based ISR nodes, AI-enabled decision-support tools, long-range precision strike capabilities, integrated C2 networks & resilient Cyber Warfare infrastructure. Rather than waiting for perfect, imported solutions, PAF chose to build, adapt and integrate what it needed at a pace unmatched in the region, turning necessity into a driver of innovation. Within this broader transformation, National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) serves as a concise emblem of the new mindset: a national-level initiative designed to energise Pakistan’s aerospace innovation ecosystem and accelerate the development & integration of indigenous Kill-Chain components. NASTP marks the shift from being a conventional importer of aerospace technology to becoming a serious developer of Next‑Generation solutions tailored to national needs.

Strategic maturity formed another central pillar of both PAF’s conduct and ACM Sidhu’s narrative. Despite achieving decisive superiority in the air and demonstrating reach across hostile territory, from northern approaches to southern industrial corridors, PAF calibrated its responses with deliberate restraint. In his speech, ACM Sidhu stressed that Strength does not equate to escalation and real power does not require the humiliation of an adversary. Pakistan could have extended the confrontation; instead, it chose to restore deterrence, demonstrate capability and then stabilise the environment in line with national leadership’s objectives. The balance between aggression in battle and composure in victory is the hallmark of a professional Air Force and has reinforced Pakistan’s standing as a net stabiliser in a volatile region.

Within this strategic envelope, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s role was acknowledged as pivotal. ACM Sidhu implicitly outlined his contribution in four dimensions: providing strategic clarity when the adversary sought to exploit misperceptions, ensuring rapid and synchronised political‑military decision‑making, forging Tri‑service synergy at a level rarely seen in the subcontinent’s history & projecting calm resolve at moments of national uncertainty. This combination of clarity, speed, unity and steadiness created the strategic conditions under which PAF’s modernization could translate into operational success.

Air Chief Marshal Sidhu’s tribute to the Field Marshal was a professional acknowledgement that leadership at the highest level often determines whether a nation experiences strategic paralysis or strategic poise. He also drew a clear line between professional militaries that operate on evidence and adversaries that rely on post‑conflict narratives. Every PAF claim, he affirmed, is backed by data, every engagement recorded and every operational announcement rigorously validated. In an age defined by information warfare, this insistence on verifiable fact has itself become a form of strategic capital.

ACM Sidhu linked PAF’s modernization and performance in Marka-e-Haq to Pakistan’s broader international profile. As a responsible nuclear power, Pakistan’s posture is increasingly viewed as central to regional stability and key partners have taken careful note of PAF’s professionalism in crisis, the effectiveness of its indigenous systems, the discipline with which Force was applied and the maturity shown in de‑escalation. For the graduating Officers on the parade square, the implications were clear: they are joining a force whose modernization journey is far from over, but whose conduct in Marka-e-Haq has already compelled the region to recalibrate its understanding of airpower. Pakistan Air Force is no longer merely guarding the nation’s airspace; it is actively shaping the strategic environment in which that airspace will be contested in the decades to come.