VISITING PAK NAVY OFFICER SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS UNWAVERING IN FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

Pakistan Navy Ship Jurrat and Agosta 90B submarine Khalid arrived in Muscat for an official visit on Saturday. The vessels will be at Port Sultan Qaboos till Tuesday.During the visit, Commodore Ahmed Saeed, the Mission Commander, will hold meetings with Oman's military and civil authorities.

During a press briefing at the Pakistani Embassy on Sunday, Commodore Saeed said, “Naval forces have historically played a pivotal role in strengthening the bonds of friendship between nations through goodwill visits. Overseas deployments also serve common professional pursuits and inter-operability between allied navies. The Pakistan Navy units, which recently participated in IDEX & NAVDEX in UAE, are currently on visit to Oman to foster bonds of friendship and brotherhood between the two countries and their navies.

Speaking about the fight against terrorism, he said, “As you are all aware, Pakistan is currently facing a host of security challenges, but our vigour and zeal to continue efforts against the menace of extremism and terrorism remain unwavering. I would like the support of the media to emphasise on the local and international community the present security concerns of my country and render all possible moral and material support to help us deal with this issue of global significance.”

Commodore Saeed also discussed Pakistan Navy's involvement in the fight against piracy. “At present, a US-led coalition force is pursuing a Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan in the North Arabian Sea, to which the Pakistan Navy has been a major contributor since August 2004.

More recently, we have also joined the coalition effort in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast under counter-piracy deployments. Common threats in the maritime sector can be best thwarted and deterred through coalitions of allied navies in pursuit of their economic interests and security concerns.“This morning, I had a discussion with the Royal Navy of Oman's Chief of Staff, and we both noted a significant reduction in piracy.”

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