Pakistan has formally inducted the Chinese-built Z-10ME attack helicopter into the Army Aviation Corps, the first export delivery of the six-ton aircraft. A ceremony at Multan Garrison, overseen by Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, showcased the gunship’s weapons suite, which includes CM-502 air-to-surface missiles, TY-90 air-to-air missiles and guided rockets. Inter-Services Public Relations said the all-weather platform will improve the army’s day-and-night precision-strike capability and strengthen battlefield integration. The purchase deepens Islamabad’s defence cooperation with Beijing and advances its modernization drive beyond ageing U.S.-supplied AH-1 Cobras and Russian Mi-35s. It follows a string of recent combat successes attributed to Chinese hardware, including the reported downing of an Indian Rafale fighter by Pakistan’s J-10C jets in May, according to accounts cited by Reuters. Hours after news of the helicopter induction, Indian media citing the Press Trust of India reported that Pakistani forces broke the 2021 ceasefire along the Line of Control in the Poonch area of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting return fire from Indian troops. The Indian Army later issued a formal statement denying any exchange, while Pakistani commentators accused India of initiating the firing. No casualties have been confirmed, but the conflicting claims highlight the fragility of the truce between the nuclear-armed neighbours.