KARACHI, March 17: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Shahid Karimullah, said on Wednesday that Pakistan Navy is committed to the policies and pursuits of the government in promoting peace in the region and reiterated the resolve of PN to defend the maritime frontiers of the country.

In an Address at the debriefing held at PNS Jauhar at the formal end of Pakistan Navy's major maritime exercise SEASPARK-2004, he highlighted the role of navy in supporting peaceful use of Pakistan's seaboard.

The exercise spanned over a period of three weeks and was covered in different phases. Seaspark series of exercises are conducted biannually to test the operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy.

Being a technology intensive service, deployment of an array of weapons and platforms are tested under real time situation. It also brought out pertinent lessons for further analysis. Pakistan Navy is actively pursuing the acquisition of Frigates from China to augment its forces.

The hallmark of the exercise was the live firing of missiles in the Arabian sea, which was witnessed among others by the defence minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal and finance minister Shaukat Aziz.

All weapons fired by PN ships and aircrafts successfully engaged and destroyed the target. Admiral Karimullah expressed satisfaction on the level of reparedness of PN. -PPI