Pakistan Navy Commissions First MILGEM-Class Ship

Islamabad: Commissioning ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s first MILGEM-Class ship PNS Babur was held at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, Turkiye.

Turkiye’s Minister of National Defence, Yaşar Güler and Pakistan’s Defence Minister Lieutenant General (retd) Anwar Ali Hyder led the guest list in witnessing the occasion.

The ceremony also saw the presence of Pakistan’s Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi.

Also present were high level Civil & Military dignitaries from Turkiye and Pakistan and officials of Istanbul Naval Shipyard.

While addressing on the occasion, Turkish Defence Minister termed the strong Pakistan-Turkiye relations as exemplary and acknowledged the potential for further collaboration in the field of defence production.

He lauded the efforts and remarkable work done by Istanbul Naval Shipyard and M/s ASFAT (Turkish Firm). The defence minister also thanked the government of Pakistan and Pakistan Navy for exceptional support during recent devastating earthquakes at Turkiye.

During his address, Lieutenant General (retd) Anwar Ali Hyder impressed his admiration on the collaboration between the Ministry of Defence Production Pakistan, Ministry of National Defence of Turkiye, ASFAT and Pakistan Navy for synergised efforts to make the project a success and congratulated all teams on successful commissioning of first MILGEM-class ship.

He added due to the unique relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye because of deep rooted historical ties between the two brotherly countries, future cooperation shall continue.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi underlined that PN MILGEM ships are fitted with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors will play a key role in maintaining peace and stability in the region.

He expressed his gratitude for enhanced collaboration in defence production especially in maritime domain between the two nations.

The Admiral stated that in line with government policies, Pakistan Navy has adopted indigenisation of platforms and hence it is very satisfying to see modern warships being built in collaboration with Turkiye.

MILGEM-class ships are the most technologically advanced, state- of-the-art surface platforms being constructed for the Pakistan Navy. The ships will be fitted with latest command & control systems including modern weapons and sensors.

The contract for construction of four MILGEM-class ships for Pakistan was signed between Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan and Turkish firm ASFAT in 2018. Under the project, two ships are under construction at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, while the other two are being constructed at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works.—shp/adj/aaa (Image: Pakistan Navy)