Any attempt to challenge Pak’s maritime interests will be met with appropriate response: Navy chief
Admiral Ashraf made these comments while speaking as the second Milgem class corvette PNS Khaibar joined the fleet here.
He also claimed that during the brief conflict with India in May last year, Pakistan Navy was ready to sink India’s aircraft carrier, adding that this forced the Indian warship and its escorts to withdraw.
Ashraf was quoted in a statement issued by the Pakistan Navy as saying that any attempt to challenge Pakistan’s maritime interests would be met with an appropriate response.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting the terrorist 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 agreement between the two sides to cease military operations on 10 May.
Ashraf said Pakistan’s strategic position on vital maritime trade and energy corridors requires a strong naval force that will protect national interests and ensure secure sea lines of communication (SLOCs).
The Milgem-class corvette warship is the second of the four Milgem-class corvettes whose contract was signed with the Turkish state-owned defense contracting firm ASFAT Inc in 2018. Within the scope of this contract, two ships were planned to be built in Türkiye and two ships in Pakistan.
At the warship’s inauguration ceremony, Ashraf emphasized that the navy is equipped with state-of-the-art platforms and niche technologies, allowing it to target “the enemy’s critical infrastructure and naval assets.”
On the other hand, port activities increased in Pakistan after the war in the Gulf region. The conflict has caused great damage to energy supply chains, especially in the Strait of Hormuz.
