From 11-17 February, the Pakistan Navy will host 45 foreign navies for Naval Exercise AMAN-21 to resolve traditional and non-traditional problems in a collaborative response to the global maritime domain.
This was formally declared by Pakistan Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Naveed Ashraf during a media briefing on Monday at the Pakistan Navy Fleet Headquarters, Karachi. Exercise AMAN is Pakistan’s seventh multinational naval exercise to contend with the strategic western Indian ocean linking Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, criss-crossing strategic SLOCs with vital chokepoints.
The Pakistan Navy is conducting AMAN-21 on a biennial basis to project a soft picture of Pakistan with the slogan ‘Together for Peace’. The exercise contributes to regional peace and stability, maritime counter-terrorism, cooperation to preserve a secure and healthy maritime environment and above all, to improve interoperability between regional and extra-regional navies.
Taken together, these facts make maritime stability a significant national security agenda. As we sincerely believe that ‘Water unites while Land divides’ in the centuries-old dictum, Pakistan believes that maritime security is important not only for itself, but for all other nations whose prosperity and development are closely linked to the seas, the Pakistan Fleet commander said.
