PM Shehbaz in Karachi to witness joint int’l naval exercises | The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Karachi on Tuesday for a day-long visit to witness a five-day multinational naval exercise led by Pakistan in the Arabian Sea.

Naval units from 50 countries, including Turkiye, the US, and China are partaking in the joint naval exercises organised by the Pakistan Navy.

The main objective of these biennial exercises is to develop an effective joint strategy against pirates, terrorists, and drug and arms smugglers. The premier will be briefed regarding the event.

The event, which has taken place since 2007, began with a flag-raising ceremony, Pakistan Television reported.

Regional countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia, as well as African Union countries, are taking part in the event with ships, aircraft, special operations forces, marine teams, and observers.

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According to the Chinese Defence Ministry, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 052D guided-missile destroyer, Nanning, is taking to part in the drills.

The naval exercise, organised under the slogan “Together for Peace,” is aimed at providing a forum for understanding maritime concepts and operational cultures, enhancing interoperability, and identifying ways and means to combat common threats at sea, the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.

It added that the eighth edition is divided into two phases: harbour and sea.

The harbour phase involves seminars, operational discussions, professional demonstrations, international get together, and pre-sail planning of sea evolutions.

The sea phase includes tactical manoeuvres, maritime security exercises such as anti-piracy and counter-terrorism, search and rescue, gunnery firings, and air defence exercises.