50-nation Pakistan maritime exercises in full swing

Participants from 50 countries continued regular maritime exercises in this southern port city yesterday.Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi said that "Pakistan Navy has been a forerunner in promoting collaborative maritime security in the region” and AMAN (peace in Urdu) Exercise "is a regular feature that involves regional and extra-regional navies to create a secure and favourable maritime environment” and activities in the region.The eighth series of AMAN exercise is aimed at developing synergy between participating naval units to tackle maritime security challenges by enhancing interoperability between regional and extra-regional navies. The second phase of the exercise begins tomorrow. The first (harbour) phase from February 10 to 12 involved seminars, operational discussions, professional demonstrations, international get-togethers and pre-sail planning of evolutions at sea.The sea phase from today and lasting until tomorrow includes tactical manoeuvres, exercises related to maritime security such as anti-piracy and counter-terrorism, search and rescue, gunnery firings, and air defence exercises to demonstrate unified resolve against maritime terrorism, piracy, and other prevalent illicit activities at sea. Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami, Commander Pakistan Fleet, said the exercise "helps foster friendship, bridging gaps and making it possible for countries to operate together in the pursuance of shared objectives”. He added that as a maritime nation, Pakistan had "substantial stakes” in keeping the seas safe and secure. "Our interests are based on three major factors. Firstly, our extraordinary dependence on the seas for trade, secondly, operationalisation of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project and thirdly, our strategic location astride the global energy highway.”