4th F-22 P Frigate for Pakistan Navy
Sajjad Ahmad
By Zaheerul Hassan
Handing over two pusher tugs on Tuesday, Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) is all set to deliver to Pakistan Navy the 4th F-22 P Frigate PNS ASLAT next month.
Also, the KS&EW is constructing for Navy a fast attack missile craft and a 32-ton tug expected to be handed over as per contract schedule. The Navy has also signed a contract with KS&EW for construction of a 15000-ton capacity fleet tanker.
Tuesday saw the KS&EW formally handing over two pusher tugs to Pakistan Navy in a ceremony held here at the Karachi Shipyard with Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Muhammad Shafiq present as a chief guest on the occasion. Addition of these tugs in the Navy fleet is considered to be an important milestone achieved towards self reliance.
Addressing the ceremony, Admiral Muhammad Shafiq said while Pakistans geographical location and geo-strategic environment essentially necessitated building of a strong and balanced Navy to defend the countrys maritime interests; realisation of the countrys force goals through foreign acquisitions only was becoming increasingly difficult.
The changing geo-political dynamics also suggest that access to the foreign defence technologies, particularly in the high end domains, would be either denied or hard to come by in the coming years, said the chief guest.
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