ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Zafar Mehmood Abbasi has revealedthat Pakistan will be holding one of the largest ever naval exerciseinvolving 50 Navies across the World.
Pakistan is going to hold multi-national maritime exercises in Februarynext year, where some 50 navies from around the world, including the US andChinese navy will take part,” he said.
Last such maritime exercise took place in 2017 in which 37 countriesparticipated. However, the naval chief urged that the US should shareintelligence gathering with Pakistan to combat drug trafficking through searoutes.
He added that unless there was a political resolution with India, theremight not be any joint Pakistan-India maritime exercises. He said thatunder Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, the two countries as members worktogether.
Although the Trump administration suspended the International MilitaryEducation and Training support, he said, the training would not stop asPakistan was utilising its own national funds for the programme.
He also maintained that the administration should not have cancelledsecurity assistance to the country but regardless of the fact Pakistanwants a relationship with the US based on equal respect.
The naval chief further said that the Pakistani Navy has sufficientresources for the task it has to perform hence it was not seeking topurchase any navy-related aircraft from the US, however, it is looking fora replacement programme for P3C Orions, which were damaged in a terroristattack at the Mehran base.