Karachi, April 4 Pakistan's Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf said on Saturday that any attempt to challenge his country's maritime interests will be met with an appropriate response.
Admiral Ashraf made the comments while speaking during the induction of the second Milgem-class corvette, PNS Khaibar, into its fleet here.
He also claimed that during the brief conflict with India in May last year, the Pakistan Navy was poised to sink India's aircraft carrier and added that this forced the Indian warship and its escorts to retreat.
Any attempt to challenge Pakistan’s maritime interests will be met with an appropriate response, Ashraf was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Pakistan Navy.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes, which ended with an understanding between the two sides to halt the military actions on May 10.
Ashraf said Pakistan’s strategic location along vital maritime trade and energy corridors demands a potent naval force to safeguard national interests and ensure secure sea lines of communication (SLOCs).
The Milgem-class corvette warship is the second of four Milgem-class corvettes, the contract for which was signed with ASFAT Inc, a Turkish state-owned defence contractor firm in 2018.
Under this contract, two ships were to be constructed in Turkiye and the remaining two ships in Pakistan.
At the induction ceremony of the warship, Ashraf emphasised that the navy is being equipped with state-of-the-art platforms and niche technologies, enabling it to target “critical infrastructure and naval assets of the adversary.”
Meanwhile, port activities in Pakistan have increased following the war in the Gulf region. The conflict has taken a major toll on energy supply chains, especially across the Strait of Hormuz.