KARACHI: The Pakistan Navy on Friday celebrated 58th ‘Navy Day’ to honour the heroic achievements of the country’s martyrs and ghazis, who fought gallantly against a much bigger adversary with absolute courage and profound faith in God during the 1965 war.

Navy Day is a glorious reminiscence of daring operation ‘Somnath’, when PN warships destroyed important shore installations and inflicted irreparable damage to Indian pride. PN’s lone submarine Ghazi reigned and remained unchallenged at sea throughout the war, because of which the complete Indian Navy did not dare to come out in the open sea and challenge the Pakistan Navy fleet.

In his message on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi said that September 8 marked the bravery of Pakistan Navy’s officers and men who demonstrated invincible courage and absolute audacity during the successful bombardment at Dwarka. “On this day, we acknowledge the sacrifices of our Shuhada and Ghazis and honour their valiant spirit, which vanquished the devious enemy during the 1965 war,” he said.

The naval chief said that PN, besides ensuring its own maritime defence, also maintained round the clock presence in international waters and engaged with regional navies to foster interoperability and promote maritime security at high seas. “For this purpose, Pakistan Navy is acquiring state-of-the-art technologies to meet the emerging security challenges at sea, while enhancing indigenous capabilities,” said the Admiral.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2023