Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the hosting of AMAN exercises by the Pakistan Navy is a clear manifestation of Pakistan’s commitment towards peace and stability, embodied in its motto ‘Together for Peace’, bringing the navies of the East and the West onto a common platform for the good of global commons.
This he said on Sunday while addressing heads of delegations of the ongoing multinational naval exercise AMAN-2019 here at the CM House.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid jamal Abro, Additional IG Karachi Dr Ameer Shaikh and Pakistan Navy delegation head Commodore Zafar Iqbal. The heads of delegates were from different 40 countries.
Shah said that Pakistan defines the northern shores of the Arabian Sea and is located at the crossroads between Arabian, Persian, Central Asian, Chinese and Indian civilisations. Pakistan, thus, has a vital role to play in this region, he added.
Talking about the AMAN exercise, the he said that the Pakistan Navy had been hosting multinational Naval Aman Exercise biennially since 2007, which had a global outlook. He added that with the AMAN exercise, the Pakistan Navy desired to seek enhanced interoperability between regional and extra-regional navies as a means of promoting peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond. “This exercise also provides a unique training opportunity to develop and practise response tactics, which help the participants foster and sustain the mutual relationships that are conducive to ensure the safe and secured sea lanes on the world’s oceans,” he said.
Shah said that the Sea Lines of Communications (SLOC) of the Arabian Sea needed to be protected for the benefit of the world. “Threats like terrorism, drugs smuggling, human trafficking and disasters require international collaboration to secure the Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean of the region,” he said and added that drills in peace-time prepared the forces well for any real conflict situation.
The exercise aimed at boosting the joint operational capabilities of the participating countries’ naval forces for peace and stability in the region, he said.
The CM said that the role and contribution of the Pakistan Navy was that of a forerunner in the quest for collaborative security in this region. “The Pakistan Navy has played a vital role for ensuring safe passage of cargo ships in the region,” he said and added Pakistan being a major stakeholder in maritime security of the Arabian Sea was fully committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and a lawful maritime order.
Shah said that this camaraderie generated herein would grow in future and should bring us closer to the mutual goal of regional peace and prosperity. “I thank you for participation in AMAN Exercise 2019 to fulfil common resolve of ‘Together for Peace’,” he concluded.
