Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila said on Friday that Pakistan could not remain oblivious of the evolving regional maritime environment.
Addressing the 41st Pakistan Navy Staff Course held at the Pakistan Navy War College, Lahore, Sandila said: “We are a peace-loving nation but our maritime interests have to be safeguarded. “We will continue to collaborate with global and regional navies to deal with the challenges of piracy and terrorism, as is evident from our participation in the CTF-150 and 151.” He stated that holding multi-national naval exercises such as the AMAN series was another testimony to Pakistan’s commitment to peace and stability in the region. The Naval Chief appreciated the graduating officers, said their graduation brought them closer to reality. Extending his congratulations to all the Pakistani and allied officers on completion of their important landmark, he commended the commandant and the faculty for their progressive and dynamic approach towards academic activities. Sandila awarded degrees to the graduates, which included 78 Pakistan Navy officers, 2 Officers each from the Pakistani Army and Air Force and 13 officers from the allied countries of Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and UAE.
