Returning Home - What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab (English) br Returning Home - What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab (English) br Returning Home - What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab (English)Returning Home - What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab (English) br Returning Home - What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab (English) br Returning Home - What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab (English) br What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab br What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab br What happened after Operation Zarb-e-Azab br Operation Zarb-e-Azab br Operation Zarb-e-Azab br Zarb-e-Azab br Zarb-e-Azab br Pakistan is fighting a war against terrorism for a couple of years now. Various operations were launched to counter this menace in different areas of Pakistan. The Operation Zarb e Azb (Op ZeA), which was launched in Waziristan region of FATA after the Karachi airport attack of 2014, is the latest in this series; when in June 2014 the Army went for an offensive in North Waziristan to wipe out terrorists and their hideouts. The operation resulted in a large amount of weapons, explosives, propaganda material and suicide jackets being recovered, and a large number of terrorists killed and a number of soldiers embracing martyrdom.After the APS Peshawar attack on 16 December 2014, the action against terrorists gained momentum and the government arranged an All Parties Conferenceto make a National Action Plan against Terrorism. Although the NAP is still to be fully implemented, the Zarb-e-Azb is being carried out with full dedication and plan. br br To find out about the current national political and military scenario, we interviewed Air Marshal (Retired) Shahid Latif a defense and strategy analyst, to solicit his views on this as the first year of Op ZeA has just passed. We also talked of his initial days in the Pakistan Air Force speaks and his career, how he sees ZeA and the future of this region. br br We started by asking about his motivation leading to winning the Sword of Honor on graduation. Air Marshal Shahid Latif said that since childhood he was always an individual who would pursue his goals wholeheartedly and aimed for reaching the top. He is aself-made man, and no one from his family was in the armed forces before him. He dedicated himself to the task at hand, kept working hard and ultimately achieved nearly all his goals, which he attributes to hard work, Allah’s blessings, and parents prayers. This led to his not only getting the Sword of Honor but also performing outstandingly well in academics, the two areas where cadets are judged. He thus not only got the Gold Medal in BSc in the PAF academy, but also walked away with the Sword of Honor, the two big awards one can achieve at the time of graduation. br br When asked about his various important positions in the PAF, especially as the Vice Chief of Air Staff, and how his decisions had an impact on the force and the nation, he said that before being appointed the Vice Chief of Air Staff, he was the Chief Project Director the proud project that Pakistan handled called the JF 17 Thunder Project, as we know this is a fighter aircraft that Pakistan made in collaboration with China and he led this project from the Pakistani side. br The operational requirements have recently led to Pakistan putting in a demand for Viper helicopters from the UAS, which is better suited than the Cobra gunships we currently have, in such operations; the cobra helicopters can go up to a certain altitude, and above that are ineffective. So a wide area in NWA is at high altitude where these terrorists escape and hiding in, therefore to deal with those high altitudes we need a better gun ship, so the demand for procuring Viper helicopters. Also now we are using drones that are being fitted with battle hardware, and we have already successfully already carried out experiment of missile delivery by drones. That is a capability that the United States Air Force has; so with these drones coming into operation and Viper helicopters being procured by Pakistan the forces will gain mastery even in high altitude operations. So we see that the air force will always continue to play a leading role, as they are very effective, and lethal, the weapons that they carry are more effective than the gunship helicopters.