THIS is with reference to the letter ‘Challenge posed by Indian submarines’ (June 15). Earlier this year, the country inducted the advanced Hangor-class submarine into Pakistan Navy, marking a transformative leap in naval capabilities, replacing aging submarines with fourth-generation platforms designed for stealth, endurance and high-threat operations.

Operating in increasingly contested global sea lanes, especially in the Indian Ocean, the Hangor-class strengthens our maritime stability and ensures the protection of key ports and shipping routes.

The name ‘Hangor’ carries historical significance, honouring the PNS Hangor’s decisive role in the 1971 war when it sank Indian frigate INS Khukri, marking the first such submarine kill since World War II and elevating Pakistan Navy’s global standing. This legacy truely shapes the doctrine and morale of the new fleet.

In terms of weaponry, the Hangor-class is a veritable arsenal beneath the waves, allowing strikes against strategic targets deep inside enemy territory from concealed offshore positions, acting as a sea-based second-strike option that really complicates the targeting calculus of the adversary.

The sheer variety and, indeed, lethality of these weapon systems, combined with the extended submerged endurance, ensure that each Hangor-class submarine is not just a single platform, but a mobile, integrated weapon system capable of influencing the outcome of a theatre-level conflict.

The deal with China, which is believed to be worth several billion dollars and encompasses eight submarines in total, with four to be built in China and four, under technology transfer, at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW), represents the largest ever project of defence cooperation between the two countries.

The technology transfer component is crucial, as it would not only upgrade the fleet of Pakistan Navy, but also revolutionise the country’s indigenous shipbuilding and defence manufacturing capabilities.

Building submarines is a much more complex task than building surface ships. It requires expertise in high-strength steel alloys, acoustic signature reduction, precision propulsion systems and hyper-baric life support.

By acquiring this technology, Pakistan is investing in a generation of engineers, technicians and naval architects who will form the nucleus of a future domestic submarine-building programme. The joint construction at KSEW, which has already modernised its facilities for the purpose, is a testament to the long-term vision of the partnership between Pakistan and China.

The grand induction of the Hangor-class submarine was celebrated across the country, with politicians, mainstream media and social media expressing pride in having this capability. This widespread public enthusiasm underscored a very important truth: in a country often pre-occupied with its land borders with India and Afghanistan, the induction of the Hangor-class has successfully shifted a significant portion of the national security consciousness towards the blue waters of the Arabian Sea.

The people of Pakistan feel, perhaps for the first time since 1971, that their navy is not just a coast guard or a defensive screen, but a true force to reckon with, capable of projecting power, deterring aggression, and protecting the nation’s economic future from the silent, unfor- giving depths of the ocean.

The pride, indeed, was not just in the steel and weaponry, but in the strategic autonomy and national resolve it represents — a resolve to stand tall, to guard every inch of the motherland, both on land and at sea, and to ensure that the dreams of a prosperous, secure Pakistan remain forever anchored in peace, backed by the unwavering strength of its silent service.

Abdul Basit Alvi
Muzaffarabad

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2026