KARACHI, Feb 19: The chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Mohammad Afzal Tahir, has said that by achieving self-reliance in submarine construction, Pakistan has earned the honour of joining the elite club of a few countries capable of building such highly complex state-of-the-art vessels and with the acquisition of F-22 P Frigates, is now all set to launch itself in the domain of ship construction.

He was speaking at the Annual Efficiency Award Ceremony of Naval Logistics Command held at the PN dockyard on Saturday.

Admiral Tahir said that the rapidly changing global scenarios warranted a strong navy to safeguard maritime interests and seaward defence.

“Pakistan Navy is determined to equip itself with the latest technology and weaponry which demands rigorous training to set high standards of maintenance and operating procedures,” he added. The procurement of modern military equipment and weapons costs heavily on the national exchequer, he said.

This makes us duty bound for its excellent maintenance to achieve maximum and stretch the operating life. He expressed his confidence that the officers and men of PN Logistics Command had all requisite skills and expertise to maintain PN fleet in fully operational state.

He urged them to further add to their professional knowledge in order to meet future requirements and challenges.

The naval chief appreciated the performance of Logistics Command during the last year and extended his felicitations to the award winners.—APP