KARACHI, Jan 2: A passing-out parade was held at the Pakistan Naval Academy (PNA) on Monday in which 70 midshipmen and 27 short service commission (SSC) officers, including five females and eight foreigners, were commissioned. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Khalid Shamim Wyne was the chief guest at the parade.

Addressing the smartly turned out parade, he said: “It is an era of persistent conflict and it is expected that our adversaries will seek to frustrate our peaceful living.

“Pakistan is a peace-loving country; however, our desire for peaceful settlement of issues must not be misconstrued as our weakness,” he Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee said.

“Our armed forces and a vibrant Pakistani nation are fully capable of safeguarding every inch of ideological and territorial sovereignty of our beloved motherland and we will give a befitting response to any unprovoked attack of blatant aggression by our adversary,” he said.

“Pakistan has many maritime challenges like growing menace of piracy, unlawful use of maritime domain, modernisation and huge naval build-up by our adversaries. These challenges demand from you to be more proactive,” he said.

He said that the construction of Agosta submarines and the induction of F-22 P frigates from China under the technology transfer would further augment national defence capabilities.

Earlier in his welcome address, PNA Commander Commodore Muhammad Abid Rana highlighted the salient features of training at the Pakistan Naval Academy. He said that the commissioning term included 62 PN cadets, six officers from Palestine and two from Sudan along with 27 Short Service Commission officers, including five females.

Midshipman Mohsin Saeed was the recipient of Sword of Honour for best performance.

The Academy’s Dirk was taken away by Midshipman Waqas Akram.

For best all-round performance, the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Medal was given to Lt M Adeel Nusrat whereas the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gold Medal was given to officer cadet Shehryar and the Commandant Gold Medal was given to officer cadet M. Jawad.