Naval Chief visits Coastal bases

KARACHI, Nov 7 (APP): Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad
Zakaullah visited Naval units and forward bases along the Makran coast
including Jinnah Naval Base at Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani with a
view to witness the operational readiness of the units during the
ongoing major maritime exercise Sea Spark 15.
During the visit, Naval Chief was given detailed overview/briefing on
the ongoing operational activities at Coastal Stations, says a press
release of the Navy here on Saturday.
The Naval Chief also interacted with the troops at various
Stations and expressed satisfaction on the professional excellence
and high morale of the troops.
Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah also visited Gwadar Port. He expressed
Pakistan Navy’s resolve to ensure protection of Gwadar Port against
all asymmetric threats under the prevalent precarious internal and
external security environment.
The Naval Chief said that Gwadar is cardinal to China-Pak Economic
Corridor (CPEC) and Sea lanes/routes connecting Gwadar with
international markets are extension of CPEC.
He reiterated that providing a safe and secure environment both on land
and at sea is essential for smooth functioning/operationalization of the Gwadar port as well as to accrue desired socio-economic benefits of China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“Pakistan Navy is fully ready and capable to defend these important
Sea lanes and one of the objectives of Exercise Seaspark 15 is to assess Operational Preparedness to undertake this key task”, Admiral Zakaullah added.
The Naval Chief was accompanied by Deputy Chief of the Naval
Staff Operations, Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat.