Yet another blow to the fractured Pakistan US military ties
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ISLAMABAD - Yet another blow has been reported in the Pakistan US fractured military ties.
Pakistan Navy has quit from the US led counterpiracy Combined Task Force (CTF) amid the worsening relations with the US.
The country decided to leave the US-led task force, operating in the western Indian Ocean, after it refused to honor the agreement and pay for the fuel required for patrolling warships, Al-Jazeera reported via its sources in the military.
The report says that the task force will feel Pakistan’s absence because of its Navy’s anti-piracy expertise and access to waters where US-flag carriers are hesitant to go.
The Combined Maritime Force (CMF), the parent organization of CTF, has confirmed that Pakistan is no longer part of CTF, the report says.
Pakistan provides experienced naval personnel, very knowledgeable in areas such as operating in the Indian Ocean. However, the current constituents of CTF151 do not include Pakistan.
Pakistani military officials have also confirmed the news stating that the country has to guard its own interests in the western India Ocean.
Pakistan Navy is now seeking to carry out independent Regional Maritime Security Patrol (RMSP), claims report. It will now patrol the international waters from the Gulf of Aden to the Gulf of Oman, and from the Strait of Hormuz to the Maldivian waters, a Pakistani military official told Al-Jazeera.
Experts believe that Pakistan’s decision to quit CTF does not mean that it is severing its ties with the CMF. Pakistan is still part of the Combined Maritime Force and could anytime resume its operations with the CTF151.
