KARACHI: The commissioning ceremony of the first Pakistan Navy MILGEM class corvette PNS Babur was held at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Turkiye on Sunday.

MILGEM class corvette are small warships. They are the most technologically advanced and state-of-the-art surface platforms being constructed for the Pakistan Navy.

The ships will be fitted with the latest command and control systems including modern weapons and sensors. The contract for construction of four MILGEM class ships for Pakistan was signed between the Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan, and M/s ASFAT in 2018.

Under the project, two ships are under construction at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, while the other two are being constructed at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works.

According to information shared by the Pakistan Navy, the minister of National Defence of Turkiye, Yaşar Guler and the interim defence minister of Pakistan, retired Lt Gen Anwar Ali Hyder, graced the occasion as chief guests.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Mohammed Amjad Khan Niazi also attended the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, the Turkish defence minister termed Pakistan-Turkiye relations exemplary and acknowledged the potential for further collaboration in the field of defence production.

He lauded efforts and remarkable work done by the Istanbul Naval Shipyard and the Turkish firm ASFAT Inc. He also thanked the Government of Pakistan and Pakistan Navy for their support during the recent devastating earthquake in Turkiye.

In his address, Pakistan’s defence minister expressed his admiration for the collaboration between Pakistan and Turkiye and congratulated the teams on the successful commissioning.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2023