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KARACHI: The Karachi operation, which will complete its three years next month, is not going to end any time soon as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that there would be no compromise on efforts aimed at restoring a lasting peace to the city. He promised that there would be no delays in the release of funds for the ongoing federal government-funded projects in the city, officials and sources said.
The fresh resolve came during his daylong visit to Karachi which was primarily aimed at launching of the Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) built with the cooperation of Turkey.
But in a brief meeting with the Sindh governor and the chief minister, the prime minister conveyed the agenda of a meeting scheduled for Aug 23 which would seek inputs from the provinces for implementation of the next phase of the National Action Plan against terrorism.
“There was no formal meeting on law and order as such,” said an official privy to the prime minister’s meeting at Governor House with Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. “After the ceremony, the prime minister spent some time at Governor House and met the two to interact briefly over some key issues.”
“The prime minister was briefed about the security situation in Karachi in particular and in the province in general. He appreciated the efforts of the law-enforcement agencies and vowed to offer every possible cooperation to achieve the target of lasting peace.”
Earlier, the prime minister attended the launching ceremony at the KSEW as chief guest where the 17,000-tonne tanker built with the cooperation of Turkey was made part of Pakistan Navy’s fleet. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah, Undersecretary of Turkey Dr Ismail Demir, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Governor Ibad and Chief Minister Shah also attended the ceremony.
The prime minister called the launching of the tanker two months before schedule as a gift to the nation on its 70th Independence Day from the national institutions and armed forces which had made possible the early building of the giant structure. He said the project executed with the cooperation of Turkey reflected the strong relations between the two countries.
“This initiative will open more opportunities for cooperation between Pakistan and Turkey in the field of indigenous warship construction and defence production,” he said. “This ceremony is also significant because it proves success of the Karachi shipyard, which has done an exceptionally successful job, strengthening the nation’s belief in the public sector organisation, emerging as a benchmark for other public institutions. I firmly believe that with the same hard work, better management practices and government patronage, the shipyard would achieve many more such laurels in the future.”
The giant tanker has been built in collaboration with Turkish shipbuilding firm Savunma Teknologiler Muhendisilik under the ambit of the ministry of defence production and Pakistan Navy. With the tanker’s induction, the fleet will play an important role in catering to its logistic needs.
The tanker has been designed by Turkey, based on contemporary trends in accordance with the Bureau Veritas Rules for the Classification of Naval Ships. Built at the KSEW, the double-hull design will provide the fleet an unrestricted entry into any port of the world.
Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2016
