Pakistan Studies

The highest non-operational military award in Pakistan is the Sitara-e-Basalat (Star of Valour). It is awarded to all ranks for acts of valour, courage, and devotion to duty not involving direct combat. The Tamgha-e-Basalat is also a non-operational gallantry award but is ranked below the Sitara-e-Basalat. This is confirmed by multiple sources including PakMcqs and GeekMCQ, as well as the official Pakistan Armed Forces awards hierarchy. Therefore, the correct answer is Sitara-e-Basalat (option D).

Moenjodaro is an ancient archaeological site whose name translates to 'Mound of the Dead' in Sindhi, reflecting its status as a large ancient settlement buried under mounds.

The Kirthar Hills are a mountain range located primarily in the Sindh province of Pakistan, making option A the correct answer.

Sindhi language is primarily derived from Sanskrit and has significant influences from Arabic and Persian, but its core linguistic base is Indo-Aryan, closely related to Sanskrit. Therefore, Sanskrit is the most accurate base language among the options.

During the 1965 War, the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Pakistan Army was General Muhammad Ayub Khan, who was also the President of Pakistan at that time. General Muhammad Musa Khan served earlier, and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq became C-in-C later, after the 1965 War.

Karachi was the first capital of Pakistan after independence in 1947 until the capital was moved to Islamabad in the 1960s. Therefore, option B is correct.

Kharian Cantonment is known as the largest cantonment of the Pakistan Army in terms of area and population, making option B the correct answer.

The University of Karachi is located in Karachi, which is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the Sindh province. This makes option D the correct answer.

The Air Headquarters (AHQ) of the Pakistan Air Force is located in Sector E-9, Islamabad. It officially relocated there from Chaklala, Rawalpindi on August 1, 2005. Rawalpindi holds the Army's GHQ, not the Air Force's main headquarters.

The first aircraft to serve in Pakistan's air force was not the JF-9 Thunder (which does not exist as a Pakistani aircraft) but rather older aircraft such as the Hawker Fury fighter presented in 1949. The JF-17 Thunder is Pakistan's first modern indigenous fighter aircraft developed jointly with China and inducted in 2007. The other options (JF-8, JF-9, JF-11) are incorrect or non-existent in the context of Pakistani aircraft. Therefore, the correct answer is JF-17 Thunder as the first Pakistani-developed modern fighter aircraft.