Editing Pakistan (section)

=== Military ===
{{Main|Pakistan Armed Forces}}
<!--THIS SECTION IS A SUMMARY—PLEASE ADD NEW MATERIAL TO THE MAIN ARTICLE-->[[File:Pakistan Air Force JF-17 Thunder flies in front of the 26,660 ft high Nanga Parbat.jpg|thumb|[[Pakistan Air Force]]'s [[JF-17 Thunder]] flying in front of the {{convert|26660|ft|m|adj=mid|abbr=off|-high|order=flip}} [[Nanga Parbat]]]]

Pakistan is considered a [[middle power]] nation,{{refn|name="Middle power nation"}}{{efn|name="RSCT"}} with the world's [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|seventh-largest standing armed forces]] in terms of personnel size, comprising approximately 660,000 active-duty troops and 291,000 paramilitary personnel as of 2024.{{sfn|IISS|2024}} [[Military history of Pakistan|Established in 1947]], the [[armed forces of Pakistan]] wielded significant influence over [[Politics of Pakistan|national politics]].{{sfn|Bartholomees|2008}} The main branches include the [[Pakistan Army|Army]], [[Pakistan Navy|Navy]], and [[Pakistan Air Force|Air Force]], supported by numerous [[Civil Armed Forces|paramilitaries]].{{sfn|DeRouen|Heo|2005}}

The [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee|Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]] (CJCSC) is the highest-ranking military officer, advising the civilian government. However, they lack direct command over the branches and serve as intermediaries, ensuring communication between the military and civilian leadership. Overseeing the [[Joint Staff Headquarters (Pakistan)|Joint Staff Headquarters]], they coordinate inter-service cooperation and joint military missions.{{sfn|Blood|1996|page=287}}

[[Nuclear command and control|Command and control]] over Pakistan's [[Pakistan's nuclear testing series|strategic arsenal]] development and employment is vested in the [[National Command Authority (Pakistan)|National Command Authority]], overseeing work on [[Nuclear Doctrine of Pakistan|nuclear doctrine]] to maintain [[Full spectrum deterrence]].{{sfn|Khan|2012}}

The United States, Turkey, and China maintain close military relations with [[Pakistan Armed Forces]], regularly exporting military equipment and [[technology transfer]].{{refn|name="Military relations"}} Pakistan was the 5th-largest recipient and importer of arms between 2019 and 2023.{{sfn|Wezeman et al.|2024}}

==== Military history ====
{{Main|Military history of Pakistan}}
Since 1947, Pakistan has been involved in [[Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts|four]] [[Conventional warfare|conventional wars]] with India.{{sfn|Gates|Roy|2016}} The [[Indo-Pak war of 1947|first conflict]] took place in Kashmir and ended in a United Nations-mediated ceasefire, with Pakistan gaining control of one-third of the region.{{sfn|Oetzel|Ting-Toomey|2006}} Territorial disputes led to [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|another war in 1965]]. In 1971, India and Pakistan fought [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|another war]] over [[East Pakistan]], with Indian forces aiding its independence, leading to the creation of [[Bangladesh]].{{sfn|Center for Preventive Action|2024}} Tensions in Kargil brought the two countries to the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1999|brink of war]].{{sfn|Busch|2014}}

Pakistan's primary intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was established within a year of Pakistan's independence in 1947.{{sfn|Sprague|2020}} During the [[Soviet-Afghan War]], Pakistan's intelligence community, mostly the [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]], [[Operation Cyclone|coordinated]] [[United States involvement in regime change|US resources]] to support [[Afghan mujahideen]] and [[Afghan Arabs|foreign fighters]] against Soviet presence.{{sfn|Rupert|1989}} The [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]] engaged with [[Soviet Air Forces|Soviet]] and [[Afghan Air Force]]s during the [[Russian war in afghanistan|conflict]].{{sfn|Withington|2005}} Pakistan has been an active [[United Nations peacekeeping missions involving Pakistan|participant in UN peacekeeping missions]],{{sfn|de Coning|Aoi|Karlsrud|2017}} playing a major role in operations like the rescue mission in [[Mogadishu]], Somalia, in 1993.{{sfn|Stewart|2002}} According to a 2023 UN report, the Pakistani military was the fifth largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions.{{sfn|UN|2023}}

Pakistan has [[Pakistan Armed Forces deployments|deployed its military]] in some Arab countries, providing defense, training, and advisory roles.{{sfn|Cordesman|1987}}{{sfn|Chengappa|2004}} The [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]]'s fighter pilots participated in missions against Israel during the [[Six-Day War]] and the [[Yom Kippur War]].{{sfn|Faruqui|2019}} Pakistani [[Special Service Group|special forces]] assisted [[Saudi forces]] in [[Mecca]] during the [[Grand Mosque Seizure]].{{refn|name="Miller-2015"}} Pakistan also sent 5,000 troops as part of a US-led coalition for the defense of Saudi Arabia during the [[Gulf War]].{{sfn|Rizvi|1993}}

Despite the UN arms embargo on [[Bosnia]], the ISI under General [[Javed Nasir]] airlifted anti-tank weapons and missiles to Bosnian mujahideen, shifting the tide in favor of Bosnian Muslims. ISI, under Nasir's leadership, supported Chinese Muslims in [[Xinjiang]], rebel groups in the [[Philippines]], and religious groups in Central Asia.{{R|Wiebes-2003|Abbas-2015}}

Since 2001, the Pakistan military has been engaged in [[War in North-West Pakistan|counterinsurgency and internal security operations]] in the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] province, primarily targeting [[Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan]] and associated militant groups. Major military operations conducted during this period include [[Operation Enduring Freedom]], [[Operation al-Mizan]], [[Operation Zalzala]], [[Operation Sherdil]], [[Operation Rah-e-Haq]], [[Operation Rah-e-Rast]], and [[Operation Rah-e-Nijat]].{{sfn|ZA Khan|2012}}