ISLAMABAD: Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi on Wednesday assumed command as the new Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).

The outgoing CNS, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, formally handed over the command of Pakistan Navy by presenting the traditional scroll to Admiral Niazi at a change of command ceremony held here.

The outgoing naval chief was presented a guard of honour, a press release issued by the Pakistan Navy said.

In his farewell address, Admiral Abbasi said the new CNS had a distinguished career and expressed confidence that he would lead the Pakistan Navy to new heights.

Outgoing CNS says civil-military leadership’s stance, diplomatic-military pushback frustrated Indian designs

He said that during his tenure, his primary focus had been on transforming the Pakistan Navy into a combat-ready force, with special emphasis on optimum battle preparedness and professional competence. He praised efforts of the navy officers who worked as a team to achieve the progress made in all domains in line with his vision.

Admiral Abbasi, while highlighting the volatile geo-political landscape and heightened tensions in preceding years, also mentioned the conflict situation post-Pulwama. He remarked that the civil-military leadership’s unified stance and diplomatic-military pushback frustrated Indian designs.

“Pakistan’s armed forces gave a befitting response and won the battle [...] shattering the myth of India’s false sense of superiority,” he said. He applauded the professionalism displayed by the Pakistan Navy in detecting the Indian submarine. He said that a fleet of more than 50 vessels, including 20 major ships, was envisioned to improve the capabilities of the navy.

Four Chinese frigates will be inducted over the next few years while four Turkish medium-class ships will be inducted between 2023 and 2025, he said.

The outgoing naval chief also said that the Hangor submarine project, which was being carried out in collaboration with China, was progressing according to plan. Four submarines were being built in Pakistan and China each, he added. “This project will transform us from a submarine-operating navy to a submarine-building one,” he said.

Admiral Niazi was commissioned in the operations branch of the Pakistan Navy in 1985. He won the Sword of Honour upon completing his initial training at the Pakistan Naval Academy. His command appointments include Pakistan Fleet commander, commanding officer of PNS Badr and PNS Tariq, 18th Destroyer Squadron commander, commandant PNS Bahadur and commandant Pakistan Navy War College/commander central Punjab, Lahore.

He has served as principal secretary to the CNS, head of F-22P Mission China, deputy chief of naval staff (training and evaluation) and director general of naval intelligence.

He is a graduate of Army Command and Staff College, Quetta, and National Defence University, Islamabad. He holds a masters degree in Underwater Acoustics from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China.

He is a recipient of Hilal-i-Imtiaz (M) and Sitara-i-Basalat. He has also been conferred with the French Medal Chevalier (Knight) by the government of France.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2020