Islamabad,(Parliament Times) : Commissioning ceremony of the 1st Pakistan Navy MILGEM Ship PNS BABUR was held at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, Turkiye. Minister of National Defence Turkiye Mr. Ya?ar Güler and Defence Minister of Pakistan Lt Gen (Retd) Anwar Ali Hyder graced the occasion as Chief Guests. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi also attended the ceremony.
While addressing the occasion, the Turkish Defence Minister termed the brotherly Pakistan-Turkiye relations as exemplary and acknowledged the potential for further collaboration in the field of defense production. He lauded the efforts and remarkable work done by Istanbul Naval Shipyard and M/s ASFAT (Turkish Firm). He also thanked the Govt of Pakistan and the Pakistan Navy for exceptional support during the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey.
During his address, the Defence Minister of Pakistan admired the collaboration of the Ministry of Defence Production Pakistan, the Ministry of National Defence of Turkiye, M/s ASFAT, and the Pakistan Navy for synergized efforts to make the project a success and congratulated all teams on successful commissioning of 1st MILGEM Ship. He added that the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey is unique because of the deep-rooted historical ties between the two brotherly countries, hence cooperation shall continue in the future as well.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi underlined that PN MILGEM Ships fitted with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors will play a key role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. He expressed his gratitude for enhanced collaboration in defense production especially in the Maritime domain between the two countries. The Admiral stated that in line with government policies, the Pakistan Navy has adopted the indigenization of platforms and hence it is very satisfying to see modern warships being built in collaboration with brotherly country Turkiye.
PN MILGEM Class ships are the most technologically advanced and state-of-the-art surface platforms being constructed for the Pakistan Navy. The ships will be fitted with the latest Command & Control Systems including modern weapons and sensors. The Contract for the construction of 04 MILGEM Class ships for Pakistan was signed between the Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan, and M/s ASFAT in 2018. Under the project, two ships are under construction at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, while the other two are being constructed at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works.
The ceremony was attended by high-level Civil and military dignitaries from Turkey and Pakistan and officials of Istanbul Naval Shipyard.