KARACHI, March 12 Pakistan Navy tested its strike capability on Friday by firing a series of missiles and torpedoes on targets in the north Arabian Sea, sending a message to anyone harbouring 'nefarious designs' against the country.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir witnessed the firepower display of the PN fleet to assess the “lethality, precision and efficacy of its weapon systems.”

The test included successful firing of a variety of missiles and torpedoes from PN ships, submarines and aircraft. Commander Pakistan Fleet Vice Admiral Tanveer Faiz was in charge of the programme.

The Naval Chief expressed satisfaction on the operational readiness of the PN fleet and commended the commitment and professionalism of officers and men.

The weapons tested included newly-inducted anti-surface missiles fired from F-22P Frigate and air-to-surface missiles from P3C aircraft.

An important feature of the event was firing of subsurface-to-surface missiles from Agosta 90B submarines. The target was engaged successfully.

Before the test, the firing zone spread over hundreds of miles was cleared of merchant ships and fishing craft to ensure safety.

An ISPR spokesman said that while reassuring PN's commitment of defending the motherland the strike capability would send a message of deterrence to anyone harbouring nefarious designs against Pakistan.

The test was part of operational preparedness against the backdrop of security environment evolving after massive acquisition of offensive weapons system by the adversary.