In the aftermath of the incident at PNS Mehran, media and people of all hues have come together to put Pakistan Navy (PN) and its leadership on trial. That a clarification on the press briefing by the naval chief stated what CNS meant, ‘security lapse is relative and will be defined which way one perceived it’ has been ignored.
Such a criticism misses the real point. The prevalent domestic environment was not carved by Pakistan Navy. Pakistan Navy’s efforts in the multinational operations prosecuting terrorism at sea since 2003 and combating piracy along the strategically important yet troubled Somalian coast has hardly received any national recognition.
With the lowest share of 11 percent in the overall defence budget, the service usually struggles to strike a balance between its operational and administrative commitments including security.
As reported, in the DCC meeting held on 25 May, the Chief of the Naval Staff’s proposal for the establishment of a high level commission was rejected. The Naval Chief had volunteered to appear before such a commission to ensure transparency and fix responsibility. Pakistan Navy is perhaps the only service whose officers, even those at the highest rank, have been held accountable in the past. It is time for others to be made answerable too.
In this atmosphere of dissatisfaction, let us not forget that on May 22 there were many whose valour and spirit saved military hardware worth millions as well as some valuable lives. An officer managed to tow at least two P3Cs to safety while a marine sailor is believed to have saved 11 Chinese. Let us end this censure and help the service recover.
COMMANDER (RETD) M AZAM KHAN
Lahore
