Karachi: The Picturesque Marina del Dockyard of the Pakistan Navy with Windsurfers, Vailboats and Navy Boats painted a beautiful backdrop for the assignments of Asta from which he fluttered the flags of 60 nations that participated in the ninth multinational maritime exercise ‘Aman-25 ‘Friday morning.
The biennial exercise began with a formal ceremony of flag accommodation, followed by the cut of a cake by high -level representatives of the participating armed.
Comodoro Omar Farooq read by the ceremony read a message from the head of the Naval Personnel, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, during the ceremony.
The naval chief welcomed the participants and stressed that the exercise, which began in 2007, has now become a regular biennial characteristic, which brings together regional and extra regional armeds to promote a safe and conducive maritime maritime environment.
Naval fleets of 60 nations participate in the exercise; The head of the BD marina meets military leadership
He emphasized the role of the Pakistan Navy as a key interested part in the Arabic Sea and its initiatives to improve regional maritime security, including regional maritime security patrols.
In addition, he declared that in recognition of the confidence of the international community in his efforts to promote peace and stability in the sea, the Pakistan Navy has introduced Amana’s dialogue this year as a complement to the exercise.
Speaking on the occasion, the commander of the Pakistan fleet, Abdul Munib, stressed the contributions of the force to collaborative maritime security and the importance of exercise to improve interoperability among the participants.
Admiral Munib praised the participating countries for supporting Pakistan’s commitment to maritime peace and security and expressed the hope that friendships foster during exercise would continue and grow.
The ninth edition of the exercise will see the participation of about 11 to 12 naval ships, some of which have already reached the port of Karachi, while others are on their way.
China, with its Baotou-133 plans and Gaoyouhu plans, and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with their HMS Jazan and HMS Hail ships, are the nations that participate with two vessels each.
The other vessels include UAE’s Abu Dhabi (CVT) P-191, Malaysia’s KD Terengganu-174, Japan’s JS Murasame, Sri Lanka’s SLNS Vijayabahu, Indonesia’s KRI Bung Tomo-357, Iran’s Jamaran, Bangladesh’s BNS Somdura Joy, USA’s Lewis B. Puller and Rovo Sadh of Oman. Meanwhile, Turkiye participates with a plane.
There are also a series of special operations forces and observers that participate in the Amanan inaugural dialogue scheduled for February 9 to 10.
Bangladesh naval chief meetings
Bangladesh Naval personnel, Admiral Nazmul Hassan, who arrived with his naval fleet, celebrated meetings with Pakistan’s main military leadership on Friday in another sign of the improved bilateral ties between the two nations.
Admiral Hassan, who will also attend Amanan’s inaugural dialogue on maritime security, called the president of the Joint Committee of Chiefs of Staff, Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and the head of the Army staff, Gen also Munir.
He also held a bilateral meeting with Admiral Ashraf at the Naval Headquarters of Islamabad.
The meetings focused on the regional security scenario in evolution and mutual strategic interests, particularly in maritime collaboration.
Both military explored ways to strengthen defense ties, including joint naval exercises, training programs and exchange visits.
Adm Hassan’s visit marks the second high -level commitment between the armed forces of Bangladesh and Pakistani military leadership in recent months.
On January 14, Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan, the main personnel officer of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division, directed a military delegation to Pakistan, where both parties agreed to reinforce defense cooperation and collaborate in the peace efforts regional
The observers see these developments as a change in the relationships of Bangladesh-Pakistan after years of departure.
The participation of Bangladesh in the multilateral naval exercise of Pakistan is considered a great step forward in military cooperation.
The reports not confirmed also suggest that a senior Pakistani intelligence delegation also visited Dhaka recently, highlighting the deepening of security and intelligence ties.
These exchanges have arrived in the midst of important political changes in Bangladesh after the expulsion of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed in protests led by students.
The political change has opened the door to a renewed commitment between the two countries, whose ties remained tense for decades due to historical complaints linked to the independence of Bangladesh in 1971.
Baqir Sajad Syed in Islamabad also contributed to this report
Posted in Dawn, February 8, 2025
