BEIJING: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral M. Amjad Khan Niazi has said in cognizance of Pakistan’s geo-strategic location in Indian Ocean at the doorstep of the Arabian Gulf, the Pakistan Navy was playing an important role to promote regional maritime security and good order at sea.
“With the changing geostrategic realities in the region and operationalization of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the role and responsibilities of the PN are growing exponentially.
The PN is steadily undertaking capability enhancement and capacity development to optimally deal with added responsibilities and evolving challenges,” he said in an exclusive interview with Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper.
During the interview, navy chief shared his visions on Pakistan Navy’s (PN) role in promoting regional maritime security, naval cooperation between the PN and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy China, and the upcoming multinational exercise.
Pakistan, he said, was blessed with an important geo-strategic location on the northern shores of the Indian Ocean and at the confluence of three regions namely the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia.
“This gives us proximity to the Gulf of Oman which is an important global energy highway as nearly 33% of the world’s oil shipments pass through this area.”
Pakistan’s 90 percent trade is sea borne and most of our energy requirements are also met through the sea. Pakistan’s maritime advantage stems from our over 1,000 kilometres long coastline and the potential offered by our exclusive economic zone of 240,000 square kilometres and continental shelf of 50,000 square kilometres, which is increasingly adding to the national economy.
“In my assessment, the global geopolitical environment is undergoing an unprecedented transition, remaining highly volatile and is characterized by new alignments of interests and partnerships.
Pakistan finds itself in the midst of a complex geopolitical and geo-economic competition prevailing in the region. Pakistan’s maritime security is intertwined with the maritime environment in the Indian Ocean region which is rapidly transforming,” he said. “In our immediate neighborhood, long drawn instability in Afghanistan simmers and continues to impinge upon regional security. On our eastern side, India, with an expansionist mindset, is destabilizing the region by actions that could imperil regional security.
– The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
