Navy fully prepared to meet challenges - Ibad - Midshipmen commissioning parade
KARACHI, Jan 10: The Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, has said ever greater vigilance and preparedness should be the order of the day for our nation in general and armed forces in particular in view of the new security calculus being more complex.
He said the global geo-political environment, which had undergone a sea change after 9/11, was yet to crystallize and Pakistan was in the midst of it all, saying it was contributing effectively to carve a niche in the new world security paradigm.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the 82nd Midshipmen Commissioning Parade held at the Pakistan Naval Academy, PNS Rahbar on Monday morning. The nation, Ibad said, was fully cognizant of the need to have an effective and hard-hitting naval force capable of safeguarding vital national interests at sea.
He said Pakistan was committed to regional and global peace and security in conformity with the UN charter, but at the same time it must not lower its guard and should remain ready to give a befitting response to any threat or aggression against the motherland, he declared.
The governor said that negotiations were in the advanced stages for procurement and in-country construction of four modern frigates from China. He pointed out that induction of FP-22 Frigates coupled with the newly acquired Agosta 90-B submarines would certainly give Pakistan Navy a qualitative edge besides enhancing its effectiveness and reach at sea.
Similarly the construction of Jinnah Base at Ormara, the rapidly upcoming deep-sea port at Gawadar and the coastal highway would provide flexibility to naval operations.
Referring to the midshipmen commissioning parade, Ibad said that it was indeed a memorable and very rewarding occasion in the lives of the young midshipmen being granted commission today.
He told the midshipmen that the training they had received so far was only the beginning. "Bear in mind that learning is a continuous process and even after this qualitative training, there is much to learn about your profession."
The governor told the cadets and midshipmen that while they were duty bound to defend the motherland, they must not lose sight of their ideological frontiers. Pakistan, by its very creation, was committed to safeguarding its ideology, he emphasised.
The governor congratulated the midshipmen receiving commission with special congratulations to the officers from Saudi Arabia, who, he said, had successfully completed their basic training and would soon be joining the Royal Saudi Forces as responsible and competent officers.
Earlier, in his speech on the occasion, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Shahid Karimullah, informed that 46 midshipmen including three from the Saudi Arabia had successfully qualified for the grant of commission today.
Though undergoing two years of comprehensive professional, academic and physical training at the Pakistan Naval Academy, as well as, on board various Pakistan Navy Ships, these officers were just halfway through their four-and-a-half-year training, spread over three phases, he said.
They would now embark upon the final phase of their training leading to award of degrees in electronics engineering, mechanical engineering and administration, said the naval chief.
Admiral Karimullah pointed out that the challenge before them at the Pakistan Naval Academy (PNA) was to even out their varied shades and galvanize them into one entity through goal-oriented efforts. In this regard, character building of the young cadets weighs heavily in our training process.
"We believe that character is a weapon that a leader of men possesses in order to be able to choose a path of honour when faced with adversity." He said the rapidly changing maritime environment, astounding pace of technological developments and burgeoning maritime threats warranted progressive improvements not only in our force structures, but also a qualitative change in manpower.
"Alive to this requirement and being the cradle of officers' training, the PNA's training methodologies and infrastructure are being improved continuously," he said.
He added in this regard that the planning for state-of-the-art building infrastructure was in advanced stages, and hoped that over the next five years or so, training facilities at the PNA would be second to none in the region.
Admiral Shahid Karimullah said that PNA conformed to ISO 9001:2000 quality standards. Before concluding, the naval chief congratulated the commissioning term, particularly those having distinguished themselves with their outstanding performance in different fields of training. -APP
