ThePakistan Navy (PN) (Urdu:پاکستان بحریہ;romanized: Pākistān Bahrí'a;pronounced[ˈpaːkɪstaːnbaɦɽia]) is thenaval warfare branch of thePakistan Armed Forces. TheChief of the Naval Staff, a four-staradmiral, commands the navy and is a member of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Pakistan Navy operates onthe coastline of Pakistan in theArabian Sea andGulf of Oman. It was established in August 1947, following thecreation of Pakistan.[5]
The primary role of the Pakistan Navy is to defend Pakistan's sea frontiers from any external enemy attack.[6][7] In addition to its war services, the Navy has mobilized itswar assets to conducthumanitarian rescue operations at home as well as participating inmultinational task forces mandated by theUnited Nations to prevent seaborne terrorism and piracy off the coasts.[8][9]
The Pakistan Navy is avolunteer force which has been in conflict with neighbouringIndiatwice on its sea borders. It has beenrepeatedly deployed in theIndian Ocean to act as a military advisor to Gulf Arab states and otherfriendly nations during the events of multinational conflict as part of its commitment to theUnited Nations.[10]: 88 The Pakistan Navy has several components includingNaval Aviation,Marines, and theMaritime Security Agency (acoast guard).[11][12][13] Since its commencement, the defensive role of the navy has expanded from securing thesealines and becoming the custodian of Pakistan'ssecond strike capability with an ability to launch underwater missile system to target enemy positions.[14]
The Chief of the Naval Staff is nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President of Pakistan. AdmiralNaveed Ashraf is the incumbent chief since 7 October 2023.[4]
Today is a historic day for Pakistan, doubly so for those of us in the Navy. TheDominion of Pakistan has come into being and with it a new Navy – the Royal Pakistan Navy – has been born. I am proud to have been appointed to command it and serve with you at this time. In the coming months, it will be my duty and yours to build up our Navy into a happy and efficient force
— Muhammad Ali Jinnah, thefounder ofPakistan, addressing the men and officers ofHMIS Godavari in March 1948[15]
The Pakistan Navy came into existence on 15 August 1947 with theestablishment of Pakistan as an independent state from theUnited Kingdom.[15] The Armed Forces Reconstitution Committee (AFRC), underField Marshal Auchinleck, the last BritishCommander-in-Chief, India (C-in-C, India), divided the shares and assets of theRoyal Indian Navy (RIN) between India and Pakistan in a ratio of 2:1,[16]: conts. despite Pakistan having inherited the high percentage ofdelta areas on its coast and the large maritime area covering theArabian sea on the West and theBay of Bengal on the East.[17]: 90 Pakistan received twosloops, twofrigates, four minesweepers, twonaval trawlers and four harbour launches.[18]: 45–46 In addition, India also objected to transfer any machinery at theBombay Dockyard to Pakistan and further refused to part the machinery that happened to be on its soil.[19]: 90
The navy endured a difficult beginning—of only 200 officers and 3,000 sailors inherited, the most senior wasCaptainHMS Choudri, who had little experience inmilitary staffing.[18]: 45 Of the 200 officers, twenty had come from the executive branch of theRoyal Indian Navy,[20]. Only six officers weremechanical engineers. There were noelectrical engineers or specialists to care for the electrical systems used for weapons or other machinery.[18]: 47 The navy suffered perennial problems with inadequate staff, lack of operational bases, lack of financial support, and poor technological and personnel resources.[18]: 45 It was the smallest military branch, and lacked importance in federal budgeting.[18]: 46
Defence plans were based primarily from the point of view of thearmy andair force.[18]: 46 The navy lacked facilities and maintenance machinery, as the only naval dockyard on thesubcontinent was located inBombay inIndia.[18]: 46
To overcome these difficulties, the navy launched a recruitment programme for the young nation, starting inEast Pakistan. Sustaining the programme there proved difficult; therefore, it was moved to concentrate recruitment inWest Pakistan.[18]: 46 Furthermore, procurement was greatly determined by the navy's role in previous wars. Most functions were in coastal defense and monitoring sea lanes, not in combat, making it difficult to justify spending on major weapons systems.[21]: 66
The Navy's combat actions largely remained in absence during thefirst war withIndia in 1947–48 as all the fighting was restricted toland andaerial combat missions.[23]: 474 On operational planning, Captain HMS Choudri had engaged on commanding a formerRINdestroyer fromKarachi toBombay to oversee the evacuation ofIndian emigrants to Pakistan.[23]: 474 In 1948, the Royal Pakistan Navy had to engage in humanitarian missions to evacuateIndian immigrants trapped in disputed and hostile areas, with its frigates operating continuously.[18]: 48
Command and control of the new Royal Pakistan Navy was extremely difficult asPrime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan'sadministration had to extend the employment of a large number of theRoyal Navyofficers from theBritish Admiralty, withRear AdmiralJames Wilfred Jefford,RN, appointed as theFlag Officer Commanding (FOC) who worked on creating the contingency plan, "Short-term Emergency Plan (STEP)", to work up thefrigates and naval defences in case of escalation of the war at sea.[15][18]: 48 In 1948, the Directorate-General for theNaval Intelligence (DGNI), a staff corps, was established underLieutenantS. M. Ahsan, who served as its first Director-General, in Karachi.[15] When the first war came to an end in 1948, the Navy temporarily established itsNavy NHQ in Karachi and acquired its firstO-class destroyer from the transfer by theRoyal Navy.[18]: 49
The Royal Pakistan Navy greatly depended on the generous donations from the BritishRoyal Navy with twoBattle-class destroyers,PNS Tippu Sultan andPNS Tariq.[24]Tippu Sultan wascommissioned on 30 September 1949, under Commander P.S. Evans, whilstTariq was placed under the command ofLieutenant-CommanderA. R. Khan.[24] The two destroyers formed the25th Destroyer Squadron, asPNSJhelum andPNSTughril, under CommanderMuzaffar Hasan, also joined the Royal Pakistan Navy.[24]
In 1950, the Navy'snationalisation took place when many officers from the air force and army volunteered to join the navy andNCOs gaining commission as an officers.[18]: 50–51 Support from the army and air force to the navy led to the establishment of logistics and maintenance machinery with vigorous efforts directed towards integrating the navy presence inEast Pakistan, thereby creating opportunities for people in East Pakistan to participate in the build-up.[18]: 51
In 1951, thePakistan government called for appointing native chiefs of the armed forces, but it was not until 1953 that a native navy chief was appointed.[18]: 51–52 TheBritish Admiralty, however, maintained the command of the Navy through Rear-Admiral Jefford who had native deputy chiefs of staff includingCommodore HMS Choudhri, Commodore Khalid Jamil, andCommander M.A. Alavi.[18]: 51–52
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During this time, a number of goodwill missions were carried out by the navy's warships, and non-combat missions were conducted under the auspices of the Royal Navy.[24] In 1951, HMS Choudhri's promotion papers as naval chief were approved byPrime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan but it was not until 1953 when HMS Choudhri was promoted asvice admiral and commander with the support fromarmy commander-in-chief GeneralAyub Khan.[18]: 52 He handed over the command of 25th Destroyer squadron to aPolish naval officer, CommanderRomuald Nalecz-Tyminski [pl].[25]
In the mid-1950s, theMinistry of Finance awarded contracts to theCorps of Engineers (Pakistan Army) for the construction of theKarachi Naval Dockyard.[15] In 1954, several efforts were made to procure aCh-class submarine from the Royal Navy but was rejected byBritish Admiralty which agreed to loan theCh-class destroyer,HMS Chivalrous, which was renamed PNSTaimur.[18]: 51–52 From 1953 to 1956, HMS Choudri bitterly negotiated with the United States over the modernisation of the navy and convinced theU.S. government to provide monetary support for modernisation of ageing O–class destroyers andminesweepers, while commissioning the Ch–class destroyers from the Royal Navy.[18]: 54 British naval tradition was disbanded and cancelled when theUnited States Navy'sadvisers were dispatched to thePakistani military in 1955.[26]
With the promulgation of theConstitution of Pakistan that established therepublicanism featuring thefederalised government, the prefixRoyal was dropped, and the service was re-designated the Pakistan Navy ("PN") with theJack replaced theQueen's colour and theWhite Ensign respectively in 1956.[15] The order of precedence of the three services changed from Navy–Army–Air force to Army–Navy–Air Force.[27][self-published source?]
In February 1956, the British government announced the transfer of several major surface combat warships to Pakistan Navy, including a cruiser and four destroyers to be purchased with funds made available under the U.S.Military Assistance Program.[18]: 54 In 1957, the Navy finalised the purchase of acruiser from the United Kingdom and used the government's own funds for the purchase which caused a great ire against Admiral Choudhri in the Finance Ministry.[18]: 55
In 1958, the Navy made an unsuccessful attempt to obtainNeptun-class submarines from Sweden using the American security funds; it was halted by the United States and Pakistan's Finance Ministry despite the fact that the idea had support fromArmy GHQ.[18]: 57 In 1958–59, theNavy NHQ staff began quarrelling with the Army GHQ staff and theMinistry of Defense (MoD) over plans regarding the modernisation of the navy that resulted in bitterinterservice rivalry between army and navy and ended with Admiral Choudri's resignation to thePresidency in 1959.[18]: 57
Proposal of attaining theaircraft carrier was deferred due to financial constraints, forcing Pakistan to move towards establishing the formidable submarine command.[28]: 108 From 1956 to 1963, two destroyers, eight coastal minesweepers, and anoiler were procured from the United States and United Kingdom as a direct result of Pakistan's participation in the anti-Communist defence pactsSEATO andCENTO.[18]
After the bitter resignation of Vice-Admiral HMS Choudri in 1959, Vice-AdmiralAfzal Rahman Khan was appointed as theCommander in Chief in Navy who worked towards building relations with PresidentAyub Khan in retaining hopes for procuring a submarine despite financial constraints.[18]: 58–59 The Royal Navy accepted the long awaiting requests from the Pakistan Navy for a regular visit toKarachi Naval Dockyard to provide first hand experience in submarine operations in 1960–61.[18]: 58 TheAyub administration did not increase the financial funding of the navy at the expense to army and air force but he did not object to American contributions to train the Pakistan Navy in submarine operations.[18]: 59 It was theU.S. Navy that provided an insightful and crucial training support to Pakistan Navy enabling it to conduct operations in long range in theIndian Ocean and the proposal of procuring the submarine was met with favourable views in 1963 due to the prospect of theSoviet Navy leasing a submarine to theIndian Navy.[18]: 58 After seeing the U.S. contribution, theUnited Kingdom decided to provide training and education to Pakistan Navy on submarine operations, and in 1964,PNS Ghazi was commissioned from the United States under theSecurity Assistance Program (SAP).[18]: 58
Even though, neither the Navy nor the Air Force was notified of theKashmir incursion in 1965, the Navy was well-prepared at the time when thesecond war broke out between Pakistan and India in 1965.[18] Thenaval chief AdmiralAfzal Rahman Khan ordered all war units of the Pakistan Navy to take up defensive positions off the coast, but did not order any offensive operations in theBay of Bengal.[18]: 60–61 As theIndian Air Force's repeated sorties and raids disruptedPAF operations, the Navy assumed a more aggressive role in the conflict.[18]: 61 On 2 September, the Navy deployed its first long-range submarine, PNSGhazi underCommanderK. R. Niazi which was charged with gathering intelligence on Indian naval movements that stalked the diverting threats posed by the aircraft carrierINS Vikrant.[29]
On the night of 7/8 September, a naval squadron comprising four destroyers, one frigate, one cruiser, and one submarine, under the command of CommodoreS. M. Anwar, launchedartillery operation— an attack on the radar facilities used by the Indian Air Force in the small coastal town ofDwarka.[29] The operation ended with limited damage to the area.[29] After gunnery bombardment,Ghazi was deployed against the Indian Navy'sWestern Naval Command at Bombay on 22 September and ended her operations and reported safely back toKarachi Naval Dockyard on 23 September 1965.[29]
The Pakistan Navy explored the idea of installing Russianmissile system on former British frigates but Soviets refrained from doing so due to objections from India.[30]
After the war, the United States imposed an arms embargo on Pakistan and Pakistani military began exploring options for military procurement from China, France, and Soviet Union.[18]: 62 The United Kingdom offered the Navy to jointly built theType 21 frigate but was rejected by Ayub administration that would only allow the financial capital to be spent on submarine procurement.[18]: 63
In 1966, the Pakistan Navy established its ownspecial operations force, theNavy Special Service Group (Navy SSG) after the recommendations from theUnited States Navy.[31] In 1966–70, Pakistan Navy had been well aware of massiveprocurement and acquisitions ofweapon systems being acquired from theSoviet Union andUnited Kingdom, and the danger it will posed to Pakistan.[18]: 63 In 1966–69, there were series of unsuccessful talks of acquiring the warships from the Soviet Navy which ended with no yielding results.[18]: 63 The Soviet Union offered to sell theirOsa-class missile boat but Pakistan Navy wanted theStyx missiles to be installed in frigates in a believe that the missile boats were not big enough to meet the Pakistani requirements in operating in theIndian Ocean.[18]: 63 The Russians later determined to their strategic interests lay with India and allowed the developing relationship with Pakistan to wither.[30]: 283–288
Difficulties arose between and after the arms embargo was lifted by the United States which lifted based strictly oncash-and-carry basis.[18]: 63 Pleas for strengthening the Navy inEast Pakistan were ignored due to monetary issues and financial constraints restricted the Navy's capabilities to function more efficiently.[18]: 63 In 1968, theDaphné-class submarines were procured from France while operatingTench-class submarines that was refitted and upgraded by theTurkish Navy.[18]: 63 Due to the Egyptian blockade of theSuez Canal, the Navy had to execute a notable submergedcircumnavigation operation from the Indian Ocean through theAtlantic Ocean in order to undergo a refit program at theGölcük Naval Shipyard in Turkey which was the only facility to manage therefitting andmid-life upgrades ofmilitary computers of theTench class.[32] Despite reservations harboring by the Navy NHQ about the ageingGhazi, she was sailed under the command of CommanderAhmed Tasnim starting from theKarachi coast in Indian Ocean toCape of Good Hope,South Africa, through the Atlantic Ocean and ended at the east coast of theSea of Marmara where the Gölcük Naval Shipyard was located.[32]
In 1968–69, the Navy NHQ staff began its tussle with theAHQ staff over the issue establishing thenaval aviation who feared the loss of fighter jets and their pilots in the sea and was hostile towards this idea.[18]: 63 The United States entered in discussing the transfer ofP3B Orion aircraft to the Navy in 1970 withYahya administration but were not procured until the end of the 1970s.[18]: 63 In 1970, theforeign relations between Pakistan and East Pakistan further deteriorated and the Navy knew that it was impossible to defend East Pakistan from approaching Indian Navy.[18]: 63 Series of reforms were carried when Navy's serious reservations were considered by the Yahya administration andEast Pakistanis were hastily recruited in what was known asEastern Naval Command (Pakistan) but this proved to be disaster for Navy when majority of Bengali naval officers and ≈3,000 sailorsdefected to India to join theAwami League's military wing– theMukti Bahini.[18]: 64–65 Such events had jeopardised the operational scope of the Navy and the Navy NHQ staffers and commanders knew very well that it (Navy) was ill-prepared for the war and Pakistan was about to learn the consequences of disconnecting strategy from reality.[18]: 65
By 1971, the Navy NHQ staffers and their commanders knew very well that the Pakistan Navy was poorly represented in East Pakistan (nowBangladesh) and there was no main infrastructure to conduct defensive operation against theEastern Naval Command of Indian Navy inBay of Bengal.[18]: 64 The Navy was only able conducted theriverine-based operations that was being undertaken by thePakistan Marines with the assistance from theNavy Special Service Group, code named,Barisal, in April 1971.[15] Although, the Governor of East Pakistan, Vice-AdmiralS.M. Ahsan, made efforts to increase the naval presence and significance in 1969 but the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command continued to pose a significant threat since it had capability of conduct operations in long-range areas.[33]
Furthermore, the defections from Navy's Bengali officers and sailors had jeopardise the Navy's operational scope who went onto join theAwami League's militant wing, theMukti Bahini in a program known asJackpot.[33] Though, the program was disrupted by the Navy from further annihilation but the naval facilities were severely damaged due to this operation on 15 March 1971.[33] East-Pakistan's geography was surrounded by India on all three landward sides by theIndian Army as the Navy was in attempt to prevent India from blocking the coasts.[33]
During this time, the Navy NHQ was housed in Karachi that decided to deploy the newlyMLUGhazi submarine on East whileHangor in West for the intelligence gathering purposes.[33]
At the end of East-Pakistan crisis.... We (Eastern Command) had no intelligence and hence, were both deaf and blind with the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force pounding us day and night....
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With no naval aviation branch to guard theKarachi port, the Indian Navy breached the seaborne borders of Pakistan and successfully launched thefirst missile attack, consisting of three Soviet-builtOsa-classmissile boats escorted by twoanti-submarine patrol vessels on 4 December 1971.[35] Nearing Karachi's port area, the Indian Navy's squadron launchedStyx missiles anti-ship missiles, which the obsolescent Pakistani warships had no viable defence against.[35] Two of the warships,PNS Muhafiz andPNS Khaibar, were sunk, whilePNS Shahjahan was damaged beyond repair.[35] After the attacks, the Indian Navy's missile boat squadron safely returned to its home base without sustaining any damages.[35]
On 8 December 1971,Hangor commanded by itsCommanderAhmed Tasnim, sank the Indian frigateINS Khukri off the coast of Gujarat, India— this was the first sinking of a warship by a submarine sinceWorld War II, and resulted in the loss of eighteen officers and one-seventy six sailors of the Indian Navy while the inflicting severe damages to another warship, INSKirpan, by the same submarine.[36] ThePakistan Air Force now covering for Karachi made several of the unsuccessful attempts to engage the Indian Navy's missile boat squadron by carrying out the aerial bombing missions over theOkha Harbor– the forward base of the Indian Navy's missile boat squadron.[35] The Indian Navy retaliated with asecond missile attack on Pakistan's coast on the night of 8 December 1971 when a smallflotilla of Indian vessels, consisting of a missile boat and two frigates, approached Karachi and launched a missile attack that sank the Panamaniancargo shipGulf Star, PNSDacca and the British merchant ship SSHarmattan were damaged.[35]
The missile-based attacks were the complete success for the Indian Navy, and a psychological trauma for Pakistan Navy, the human and material cost severely cutting into its combat capability, nearly 1,700 sailors perished at the barracks.[37]
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Thecommercial pilots from thePakistan International Airlines volunteered to conduct air surveillance missions with thePakistan Air Force, but this proved less than helpful when the Pakistan Navy's forward observer team, led byCdre.A. W. Bhombal misidentified their own larger frigate,PNS Zulfiqar, as an Indian missile boat, giving clearance to theF-86 fighter jets of thePakistan Air Force which made several attack runs before finally identifyingZulfiqar by the Navy NHQ.[37] This seriousfriendly fire incident resulted in further loss of navy personnel, as well as the loss of the ship, which was severely damaged and the Pakistan Navy's operational capabilities were now virtually extinct, and morale plummeted.[37] The Indian Navy observers who watched the raid nearby later wrote in theirwar logs that the "PAF pilots failed to recognize the difference between a large PNSZulfiqar frigate and a relatively small Osa missile boat."[37] The PAF, however, contested this claim by holding Cdre. Bhombal of the responsibility of misidentifying his own warship and giving clearance to the PAF to mount an attack on their own ship.[37][38]
The Navy's only long range submarine,Ghazi, was deployed to the area but, according to neutral sources, it sank en route under mysterious circumstances.[39] Pakistani authorities state that it sank either due to internal explosion or detonation of mines which it was laying at the time.[40] The Indian Navy claims to have sunk the submarine.[41][42][43][44]
The submarine's destruction enabled the Indian Navy to enforce a blockade on then East Pakistan.[45] According to the defence magazine,Pakistan Defence Journal, the attack on Karachi, Dhaka, Chittagong and the loss ofGhazi, the Navy no longer was able to match the threat of Indian Navy as it was already outclassed by the Indian Navy after the 1965 war.[35]
The damage inflicted by the Indian Navy andIndian Air Force on the Navy stood at sevengunboats, one minesweeper, two destroyers, threepatrol craft, eighteen cargo, supply and communication vessels, and large-scale damage inflicted on the naval base and docks in the coastal town of Karachi.[35] Three merchant navy ships; Anwar Baksh, Pasni and Madhumathi;[46] and ten smaller vessels were captured.[47] Around 1,900 personnel were lost, while 1413 servicemen (mostly officers) were captured by Indian forces inDhaka.[48] The Indian Navy lost 18 officers and 176 sailors[36][49] and a frigate, while another frigate was damaged and aBreguet Alizé naval aircraft was shot down by thePakistan Air Force.[35]
According to one Pakistan scholar,Tariq Ali, the Pakistan Navy lost half its force in the war.[50] Despite the limited resources and manpower, the Navy performed its task diligently by providing support to inter-services (air force and army) until the end.[51]
According to the testimony provided by theAdmiralMohammad Shariff in 2015, the primary reason for this loss has been attributed to the High Command's failure in defining a role for the Navy, or even considering Navy as military in general.[51] Since then the Navy has sought to improve the structure and fleet by putting special emphasis on sub-surface warfare capability as it allows for the most efficient way to deny the control of Pakistani sea lanes to an adversary.[51] In a thesis written by Dr.P. I. Cheema in 2002,Ayub Khan, who had enjoyed considerable influence on Pakistan's national politicians, did not fully understood the Navy as amilitary service or neither comprehend the importance of safeguarding thesea lines of communication, which prevented the development of the Navy as a potent force as it should have in the 1970s.[19]: 93
After1971 war, steps were taken to modernise and increase the operational scope of the Navy.[18][19]: 103 : 65 Unlike the army or the air force, the naval officers were able to continue their military service with the Navy, and their promotions were relatively quicker than other military branches in 1972–74.[18]: 141
In January 1972, theBhutto administration formed thePOW Commission to investigate the number ofwar prisoners held by theIndian Army in East and submitted the request to theSupreme Court of Pakistan to investigate the causes of the war failure with India in 1971.[53]: 28 After concluding a quick visit in theUnited States in 1972,President Bhutto used his administrative powers todishonorably discharge thecommission of five senior admirals in the Navy, appointing the junior mostH. H. Ahmed as the firstChief of Naval Staff of the Navy.[54]: 61 In 1973, theNavy NHQ was permanently moved toIslamabad to provide synergy with theArmy GHQ in Rawalpindi.[52]: contents [55]
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In 1974, theNaval Aviation branch was established with the transfer of theWestland Sea King helicopters from theUnited Kingdom in 1975, followed by test firing thesurface-to-shipExocet missile as abefitting response to the Indian Navy in 1979.[52] With the ability to fire the land-based Exocet missile from a reconnaissance aircraft, the Navy became the first of its kind in theSouth Asia to acquire land-based ballistics missile capable long range reconnaissance aircraft.[57]: 77
In 1976, the Navy moved towards successfully acquiring the military computers from the British firm, theFerranti, to increase its defence's for its coastlines.[52] TheWar Enquiry Commission noted the lack of strategic communication and thegrand strategy between the four-branches of the military during theconflict and wars with India, recommending the establishment of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee to maintain strategic military communication between the inter-services and the federal government, that is to be chaired by the appointedChairman joint chiefs as the government's principal military adviser.[18]: 140 In 1976, Navy saw its firstfour-star rank admiral whenMohammad Shariff was promoted to this rank, and later becoming the first admiral to be appointed as theChairman ofJoint Chiefs Committee in 1977.[51][58]: 372 In 1977, the United States reportedly transferred the tworefittedGearing-class destroyer to the Pakistan Navy, which were much superior to the British frigates, followed by obtaining more destroyers from the U.S. Navy in 1982–83.[18]: 142
During this time, the Navy to diversify its procurement with defence deals made withChina,France, and the United Kingdom but the dependence grew on China when the Navy acquired the anti-submarine warships that gave the Navy credible sea-denial capability.[59] In 1979, the France offered to sell theirAgosta-70A-class submarine and was immediately acquired which were commissioned asHurmat andHashmat.[32] Induction of theAgosta-70A class gave Pakistan Navy adepth advantage over the Indian Navy, and gave the Navy an ability to conduct operations in deeperIndian Ocean at wider range.[59][18][60]: 143
In 1982, theReagan administration submitted the proposal ofUS$3.2 billion aid for Pakistan that was aimed towards economic uplift and security assistance to theUnited States Congress as the Navy entered in successful negotiation of obtaining theHarpoon system, despite the strong Indian lobby opposing and objecting of this deal.[18]: 144 In 1985, the Navy bought theMirage 5V aircraft for the naval role and were equipped with theExocet A39 missile that gives the capability of sea denial to the Pakistan Navy.[18]: 144 With the induction of the missile systems, long-range and depth endurance submarines, missiles destroyers, fighter aircraft, and establishment of thePakistan Maritime Security Agency, the Pakistan Navy eventually ended the Indian Navy's control over the Indian Ocean, and the Indian Navy's confidence that it could contain the Pakistan Navy at shorelines.[18]: 145
Eventually, the Pakistan Navy began its wartime deployment inMiddle Eastern countries through thePersian Gulf and deployed its war assets in Saudi Arabia in support of the U.S. Navy's fleet in wake of the events involving theIran–Iraq War andtensions with Libya.[18]: 145 In 1982, the Reagan administration approvedUS$3.2 billion military and economic aid to Pakistan with Pakistan acquiring eightBrooke andGarcia-class frigates from the United States Navy on a five-year lease in 1988.[51] Adepot for repairs,USS Hector followed the lease of these ships in April 1989. This was done due to theZia administration'sco-operation with theReagan administration against the Soviet Union'sinvasion in Afghanistan.[51]
After the Russiantroops withdrawal fromAfghanistan in 1989, theBush administration imposed thearms embargo on Pakistan by uncovering the existence of the covertatomic bomb program to the United States Congress, which ultimately refrained the transfer of the maritime patrol aircraft, missile systems, and defence software on 1 October 1990.[51] With the expiration of the lease of theGarcia andBrooke-class guided missile frigates, the Navy had to return the frigates to the United States that were sold to India for scrapped metals, and Navy to faced the problems for adequate funding towards the modern Navy.[18]: 185 The embargo seriously impaired the Navy's operational scope and paralysed its ability to operate in theIndian Ocean, since the Navy'sfleet was composed of entirely the former U.S.-built warships.[18]: 185
Since 1987, the Pakistan Navy had been interested in acquiring theType 21 frigates from theUnited Kingdom, and the Navy turned to theRoyal Navy for an immediate purchase which was approved in 1993 whose expensive refitting and technological upgrades had to carried out by Pakistan itself at theirNaval Base in Karachi over the years.[18]: 185 In 1994, the Pakistan Navy entered inlengthy, complicated, and controversial negotiation with France to acquire the long-range submarine technology by dismissing the idea of procuringnuclear-powered submarine from China due to noise issue that the Indian Navy was quiet able to track.[18]: 183–185 [62] Despite embargo, the United States Navy maintained its relations with Pakistan Navy, inviting the Pakistanis to participate in theInspired Siren in 1994, and gave the Pakistan Navy instructions and run down on the nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier operations.[18]: 185 In an attempt to warm the political relations with the United States, the Pakistani military joined theU.S. actions in theSomali Civil War, conductingwartime patrol in the Somali coast.[63][52]
In 1994, the Navy wasdeployed in support of the U.S. Navy and extended its support in 1995 to participate inOperation United Shield to conclude its side of operation after evacuating personnel and equipment of thearmy,marines, and air force.[64] By 1996, the Brown amendment was introduced that allowed the uplifting of the embargo on Pakistan, allowing the transfer of the maritime patrol aircraft to the Navy.[18]: 185
By 1997, thecontroversy over the technology transfer from France had tarnished the public image of the Navy with the arrest ofnaval chief when severalcases were levelled on political and military leadership of the Navy.[62] Despite India's strong objections in France, theair-independent propulsion was transferred to Pakistan which built theAgosta 90B-class submarine, capable to operating in Indian Ocean and at higher submarine depth.[62] In 1999, the Navy saw thepublic disagreement with thefederal government over the issue ofPakistan Army's engagement with Indian Army in Kashmir and over the rightful appointment of the AdmiralFasih Bokhari asChairman joint chiefs.[65] Pakistan Navy was forced to deploy its existing war assets when the Indian Navy deployed its warships nearKorangi Creek Cantonment andPort of Karachi with their codename:Operation Talwar.[66]
On 10 August 1999, a serious incident took place inSir Creek region when the Indian Air Force shot down theNaval Aviation aircraft that resulted in deaths of 16 naval personnel, mostly officers.[67]: 62 On 29 August 1999, another aircraft of the Navy,P3C Orion, was lost due to an accident with the loss of twenty one lives.[68]: 537 [69][70]
Over the issue of the Indian Air Force's shot down of the aircraft, the Navy filed a lawsuit against the Indian Air Force at theInternational Court of Justice, but the claim was later dismissed due to over-reaching of the court's mandate.[67]: 62–63 [71]
Pakistan fully endorse the requirements of a strong navy, capable of safeguarding Pakistan's sea frontiers and her Lines of Communication, monitoring and protecting her exclusive economic zone. Continuous efforts are at hand to provide the best available equipment to the Navy despite all economic constraints.
— Pervez Musharraf, 1999[66]
After his incident in 1999, another proposal was raised to switched theair-independent propulsion of Agosta submarine to substitute withnuclear propulsion, however the proposal was dismissed.[66]
After the9/11 terrorist attacks in theUnited States, the sanctions on Pakistan were eventually uplifted, allowing the Navy to procure the U.S.-built weapon systems and warships to regain its ability to operate in the Indian Ocean as it became involved in war preparations during thestandoff with India in 2001–02.[66] In 2001, the Navy took serious consideration of deploying thenuclear weapons on its submarines although none of the nuclear weapons were ever deployed in the submarines.[62]
In 2003–04, there were several proposals made for acquiring the vintageaircraft carriers but the Navy itself had dismissed the idea since the country has not aspired to have an aircraft capability.[72]: 79 In 2002–03, the Pakistan Navy deployment took place in the Indian Ocean, participating in the naval drills to combat terrorism from seaborne platforms, and eventually entered in defence negotiations with China for acquiring the technology to designing and building the guided missile frigates— theF-22P guided missile frigates were eventually built it in 2006–15.[52]
Since 2004, the Navy's deployment took place in Indian Ocean, playing a crucial role in the multinationalNAVCENT inBahrain, and took the leadership of theCTF-150 andCTF-151 as well as taking active participation in theOperation Enduring Freedom in 2006–10.[73][74][75] In 2008, the task force group consisting ofPNS Badr,PNS Shah Jahan,PNS Nasr, and the Pakistan Air Force's Explosive Ordnance Disposal participated in theExercise Inspired Union with the U.S. Navy in the Indian Ocean to develop skills in a prevention of seaborne terrorism.[76]
Its deployment in theWar on terror also included their actions in theWar in Afghanistan when the Navy's special forces were deployed to take participation in the Operations:Black Thunderstorm,Rah-i-Nijat,Mehran, and theHelp.[52]
Despite itsseaborne mission, the Navy had played an active role in controlling the insurgency informer tribal belt inWestern Pakistan, mostly taking roles in managinglogistics andintelligence gathering as well as conducting ground operations with the army in Western areas to track down theal-Qaeda operatives.[77] From 2010 to 2011, the Navy was in a brief direct conflict with the violentTTP group andal-Qaeda, and its Naval Intelligence was able to track down the infiltrated militants within the ranks of the Navy.[78][79]
In 2015, the Navy was deployed in support of theSaudi-led blockade of Yemen after accepting the request from theSaudi Arabia.[80] As of current, the Navy continues increase its operational scope in the Indian Ocean and reportedly successfully entering in defence talks with Turkey to jointly built theMILGEM project in Pakistan in 2018–2019 while it had earlier announced to start the building the program of thenuclear submarine for its current operational capabilities in 2013.[81]
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Leadership in the Navy is provided by theMinister of Defense, leading and controlling the direction of the department of navy from the Naval Secretariat-II at theMinistry of Defense, with theDefense Secretary who is responsible for the bureaucratic affairs of the army's department.[82] TheConstitution sets the role of the electedPresident of Pakistan as the civilianCommander-in-Chief of thePakistan Armed Forces while thePrime Minister of Pakistan served as theChief Executive of the Pakistan Armed Forces, both the people-elected civilians, the President and Prime minister, maintains acivilian control of the military.[83]
TheChief of Naval Staff (CNS), an appointed four-star rank admiral, is a principal military adviser on thenaval/maritime security affairs to theFederal government and is a senior member of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC)— a military body that advises and briefs the elected civilianPrime Minister and itsexecutive cabinet on national security affairs and operational military matters under theChairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee.[84]
The war functions of the Navy is controlled from the single combat headquarters, theNavy NHQ, located inIslamabad at vicinity of theJoint Staff Headquarters and theArmy GHQ inRawalpindi Cantonment inPunjab inPakistan.[84] The Chief of Naval Staff controls and commands the Navy at all levels of operational command, and is assisted by number ofPrincipal Staff Officers (PSOs) (Staff Commanders) who are commissioned at the three-star rank and two-star rank admirals. The Staff Appointments marked in the light goldish yellow color are the most important seats at NHQ which play a very important administrative role for the proper functioning of the Pakistan Navy and its assets.[84]
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Due to the influence from theRoyal Navy and later by theUnited States Navy since its earliest inception, the Pakistan Navy has a unique command structure and the navy's functionality is divided in various branches.[59]
There are seven military staff commands in the navy that are in fact administrative, directed by the several appointedDeputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) and often assisted by theAssistant Chief of the Naval Staff (ACNS) holding the rank of commodore a one-star rank senior officer reporting directly to their respectiveDeputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS).[59]: 73 The Deputy Chiefs Of Naval Staff are usually holding either thetwo-star orthree-star ranks.[59]: 73 The each and appointed Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff head or commander of their respected branch reports directly to theChief of the Naval Staff (CNS) atNavy NHQ in Islamabad of their respected command.
The military administration of the Navy under theNaval Chief based in theNavy NHQ includes its Principal Staff Commands and Principal Staff Officers:
| Principal Staff Commands at NHQ | Call sign | Principal Staff Officers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice Chief of the Naval Staff | VCNS | Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami HI(M), Ops | The Second in Command of The Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Operations) | DCNS-O | Vice AdmiralRaja Rab Nawaz, HI(M), Ops | Head of Operations Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Materials) | DCNS-M | Vice Admiral Abid Hameed, HI(M), Engg | Head of Materials Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Supply) | DCNS-S | Rear Admiral Syed Ahmed Salman, HI(M), Supp | Head of Supplies Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Projects) | DCNS-P | Rear Admiral Shafquat Hussain Akhtar SI(M),Ops | Head of Projects Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Trainning and Personnel) | DCNS-T&P | Rear Admiral Muhammad Saleem HI(M),Ops | Head of Training and Personnel Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Administration) | DCNS-A | Rear Admiral Syed Ahmed Salman, HI(M), Supp | Head of Administrations Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
| Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (Welfare and Housing) | DCNS-W&H | Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan, HI(M), Ops | Head of Welfares and Housings Branch and Organization in the Pakistan Navy. |
The Organizations and the Heads of Services operating in the Pakistan Navy and reporting directly to theNaval Chief are as follows:
| Organizations | Call sign | Heads of Services |
|---|---|---|
| Director General, Naval Research and Development Institute | DG NRDI | Rear Admiral Hussain Sial, HI(M), Engg |
| Director General, Command, Control, Communication, Computers and Intelligence | DG C4I | Rear Admiral Jawad Ahmed, HI(M), Ops |
| Naval Secretariat,Naval Secretary | NS | Rear AdmiralImtiaz Ali, HI(M) TBT & Bar, Ops |
| Director General, Naval Intelligence | DG NI | Rear Admiral Shahzad Hamid, SI(M) TBT, Ops |
| Director General, Public Relations | DG PR | Commodore Ahmed Hussain, SI(M), Ops |
Each branch in the navy offers specialisation and officers interested in joining the particular service have to pass aptitude tests before attending the specialised school that usually last for two to three years, in which the officer is able to attain a college degree.[85][86]
| administrative branches in the Navy | call sign | specialization and qualification badges | administrative branches in the Navy | call sign | specialization and qualification badges | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naval Operations | Ops | Surface warfare Underwater warfare Electronic Warfare Communication Navigation NBCD | Naval Supplies | S | Supply Badge | ||
| Logistics | Log | Logistics Badge | Mechanical | Mech | Ship Mechanical Engineering Badge | ||
| Judge Advocate General Corps | JAG | JAG Badge | Education | Ed | Education Badge | ||
| Weapons Engineering Branch | WEB | WEB Badge | Marine Engineering Branch | MEB | |||
| Aviation | AVN | Naval aviator badge | Music | MUS | Music Badge | ||
| Medical | MED | Medical Badge | Naval Police | NP | Naval Police Badge | ||
| Naval Intelligence | NI | Navy Intelligence Badge | Marines Corps | MC | Marines Badge | ||
| Navy SEALs | SSGN | SSGN Badge | Maritime Security Agency | MSA | MSA Badge | ||
| Special Branch | SB | IT Badge | Chaplain (Khatib) Service | CS |
Since its restructuring and reorganisation over the several years, the Pakistan Navy now operates eight operational and tactical field commands and also two major type commands, two of the important commands of aviation and submarines are reporting directly to the senior Pakistan Fleet Command.[84] Each command is headed by a senior flag officer who usually holds a ranks ofthree-star rank:Vice-Admiral andtwo-star rank:Rear-Admiral.[84] The appointment to the seniorfleet commander known asCommander, Pakistan Fleet leads the navy's entire fleet with a responsibility of deploying the entire combat formations of the navy.[59]: 73
Geographically, there are three administrative commanders, such as Commander Karachi (COMKAR),Commander Central Punjab (COMCEP), and Commander Northern (COMNOR), who administer the bulk of naval installations, offshore establishments, and training facilities besides the seven oceanic based commands.[59]: 73
In 2012, the Pakistan Navy established theNaval Strategic Forces Command that has area responsibility of exercising the deployment of sea-bornenuclear weapons and is described by the military as the "custodian of the nation's nuclearsecond strike capability."[88]
The peacetime commands and the Commands in the Navy allocated are given below.
| Headquarters |  Navy NHQ,Islamabad inPakistan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operational, Tactical and Type Commands | Call sign | Commander | Subordinate combat squadrons and arms | Notes | |
| Commander, Pakistan Fleet | COMPAK | Rear Admiral Abdul Munib, SI(M), Ops | Subordinate squadrons
| The war-fighting command responsible for operational deployments of the Surface, Submarine, and Aviation Commands to ensure theoperational readiness and assurances of the Navy. | |
| Commander Karachi | COMKAR | Vice AdmiralMuhammad Faisal Abbasi, HI(M), Ops | Subordinate offshore establishments
| Directs the offshore establishments, training schools, military protocol, and ensuring coastal defence of Karachi coast. | |
| Commander, Coast | COMCOAST | Rear Admiral Faisal Amin, SI(M), Ops | Subordinate branches
| Directs the coastal command by ensuring the coastal defences of Pakistan from Iranian border in West to Indian borders in East. | |
| Commander, Naval Strategic Forces Command | CDR NSFC | Vice Admiral Abdul Samad, HI(M), Ops | Subordinate commands
| This command was identified by the military as Custodian of nuclear second strike capability | |
| Commander, Logistics (Logistics Command) | COMLOG | Rear Admiral Muhammad Sohail Arshad, HI(M), Engg | Subordinate commands
| Directs the logistics command to oversee the maintenance, military logistics and material readiness for construction warships at the shipyard. | |
| Flag Officer, Sea Training | FOST | Rear Admiral Khyber Zaman, HI(M), Ops | This Command oversees the training deployment of the Pakistan Navy Fleet | ||
| Commander, Central Punjab | COMCEP | Rear AdmiralAzhar Mahmood, SI(M), Ops | Oversees the deployments of Marine detachment and operations of the War College in Punjab | ||
| Commander, West | COMWEST | Rear Admiral Adnan Majeed, SI(M), Ops | Directs the Navy's combat units in the Western Pakistan. Subordinate commands
| ||
| Commander, North | COMNOR | Commodore Saqib Ilyas SI(M), Ops - | Directs the Navy's combat units in Northern Pakistan and reports to Principal Staff Commands at NHQ. | ||
| Commander, Depot | COMDEP | Commodore Fareed Amin SI(M), Supp | Directs the Naval Depots Command to oversee all the naval supplies and materials being stored and distributed in the Pakistan Navy and reporting directly to COMLOG | ||
| Commander, Naval Aviation | COMNAV | Commodore Syed Talat Hussain, SI(M), Ops | Directs the Naval Aviation Command but reporting directly to COMPAK | ||
| Commander, Submarines | COMSUBS | Commodore Mazhar Bashir, SI(M), Ops | Directs the Submarine Command but reporting directly to COMPAK | ||
| Director of Procurement, Navy | DP NAVY | Commodore Muhammad Shahnawaz Khan, SI(M), Supp - | This Command deals in the purchasing of certain military equipments and supplies for the navy and reports to DCNS-S | ||
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TheSpecial Service Group Navy (SSG(N)), colloquially known as theSSGN[90] is an elite unit that conductsunconventional warfare,combat diving,naval interdiction, andasymmetric warfare operations, established under the guidance of theUnited States Navy'sSEALs in 1966.[91]
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The Navy Special Service Group is headquartered atPNS Iqbal in Karachi where the physical conditioning and weapon tactics training take place.[92] The Navy Special Service Group's specialisation further includes training and mastery in thevisit, board, search, and seizure methods,naval interdiction, andsecurity operations to prevent seaborne-based terrorism.[93]
The Navy Special Service Group is a tighter unit composed of highly qualified and selected personnel who are modelled on and inspired by theU.S. Navy SEALs training and tradition.[92] The actual number of personnel of Navy Special Service Group is classified and their deployment are also subjected toclassified information.[92]
In 1970–71, the Navy established thePakistan Marines to support theamphibious warfare operations and were initially influenced by theUnited States Marines Corps but the Marines component was decommissioned by the federal government in 1974.[94] On 14 April 1990, the Pakistan Marines were again recommissioned in the Navy with about 2,000 personnel.[95] The advanced training of the Marines are often takes place with thePakistan Army at their School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta in Balochistan.[96]
The1st Marines Battalion, the special operation unit, of the Pakistan Marines is specifically trained by the Pakistan Army to conduct infiltration andanti-aircraft warfare operations. The 1st Battalion is currently deployed inSir Creek.[97]
The military doctrine and philosophy of the Pakistan Navy is primarily directed towards preventing theIndian Navy repeating the 1971 blockade of the Pakistani coasts.[84] From 1947 until 1971, the Pakistan Navy was effectively little more than acoast guard because the Government of Pakistan did not give importance to the strategy of protecting thesea lines of communication.[59]: 68 In 1971, theIndian Navy ultimately played a decisive role by enforcing a blockade ofChittagong andKarachi, the only maritime outlets ofEast Pakistan andWest Pakistan respectively. The Navy was unable to break the blockade leading to Pakistan's economic and military resources being severely drained and communication was limited between the two wings of the country. Subsequently, thefederal government increased the funding of the Navy.[19]: 97–98 [100]: 94
Since 1971 the Navy tactical doctrine has included the acquisition, development, employment, and aggressive deployment of the long-range anddepth reaching submarines in an effort to target and destroy its adversaries by attacking surface warships before reaching the country's ports.[84] Themining of the Karachi's harbour is also taken as a serious consideration of preventing the enemy from launching the missile attacks in the port city of Karachi.[84]
In 1983–85, the Navy commissioned theDassault Mirage 5 fromFrance whose weapon system included the naval variant of theExocet missiles and are aimed towards engaging the Indian Navy's aircraft out to 500 kilometres (310 mi) in theIndian Ocean.[84][101]
The routine deployment of the surface fleet as part of theCombined Task Forces provides the opportunity to the safeguard the sealines of communications.[84] Since 1999, thePakistan Marines's special reconnaissance forces has been deployed in theSir Creek region are aimed towards offshore protection against the incursions from the Indian Army'sPara Commandos from the sea while taking the initiatives of deployment of the special forces groups behind the enemy lines through insertion by theHALO/HAHO airdrop or by using the midget submarines.[84]
Responding to the development of theINS Arihant, the Pakistan Navy reportedly announced the launch of the nuclear powered submarine program to counter the submarine threat in 2012.[102]
The Navy eventually pushed for attaining the naval-based nuclearsecond-strike capability in 2017 when theISPR announced the Pakistan Navy's to have attained the sea-based second strike capability when it launched the nuclearSLCM based on theBabur cruise missile, though the range of the SLCM remains to be at the short range.[103]
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The names of the commissioned warship and noncombat vessels of the Pakistan Navy are prefixed with the capital letters "PNS"— the Pakistan Navy Ship.[84] The naming convention of the ship are selected by theMinistry of Defense, often honouring the important people or places in the history of Pakistan, and then commissioned by thePresident of Pakistan.[104][105]
The Surface Fleet, established in 1947, is a pivotal component of the Navy with crucial role in maintaining the military balance with theIndian Navy in theIndian Ocean, taking part in multinational task forces to prevent seaborne terrorism and piracy.[106]
The Navy currently operates approximately 100 vessels including ones used by the Maritime Security Agency (MSA) andPakistan Marines.[84] In the current inventory, the Navy has a combination of Turkish, American, Chinese and locally produced ships including the AmericanOliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, Turkish-designedBabur class, and locally-builtZulfiquar-class frigate (built with Chinese assistance). Decommissioning of the ageingTariq class destroyer has been completed after the construction of additional missile guidedZulfiquar-class frigates in Pakistan by 2021 and the acquisition of theType 054A frigates from China that started in 2017.[107][108][109][110]
TheTariq class were a class ofguided missile destroyers that were in the service with the 25th Destroyer Squadron. TheF-22PZulfiquar classguided missile frigates are attached with the 18th Destroyer Squadron with a complement of the American-transferredUSS McInerney (now PNSAlamgir) in 2011.[111]
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In 1992, theFrench Navy transferred itsTripartite-class minehunter and helped designed theMunsif-class minehunters in Pakistan as a local production that increased the Pakistan Navy's operational scope and its overall capabilities.
In 2011, the Navy commissioned theAzmat-class corvette based on the Chinese design ofType 037II Houjian missile boat with the lead boat being designed in China while three remaining were built in Pakistan through the technology transfer agreement– these missile boats are commissioned into the 10th Patrol Squadron.[112][113][114] In addition, the 10th Patrol Squadron has commissioned the twoJurrat-class missile boats based on the German-designed and two missile boat based on the from the Turkish design,MRTP.[114] TheLarkana-class gunboats are locally produced at theKSEW Ltd. in Karachi that is in the current service with the Pakistan Navy, forming the Fast Patrol Craft Squadron.[115]
In addition to the Navy's operations of warships, the Navy operates coast guard ships intended for the Maritime Security Agency – most are imported from China while others are locally build to guard the Pakistan's seaborne borders from illegal activities, followed by the ten of the locally designed and builtpatrol boats for theCoast Guards for the safety and policing of thebeaches in the country.[116]
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In 2017, the Pakistan Navy entered in discussion with theTurkish Navy to acquire four of theMILGEM-class warship, and eventually signing a major defence deal based on a technology transfer with Turkey on 5 July 2018, which was described as "the largest defense export of Turkey in one agreement."[117]
The Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker Project (PNFT), of which STM, one of Turkey's leading companies in the defence industry, is the prime contractor, joined the Pakistan Navy in 2018.
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On 1 June 2018, Pakistan Navy ordered four Type 054As. The ships are expected to enter service by 2021.
The steel-cutting ceremony for the second Type 054A frigate for the Pakistan Navy (PN) was held in China on 19 December 2018, marking the beginning of construction of the vessel at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, China.[citation needed]
On 1 November 2019, China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding held a steel cutting ceremony for the Pakistan Navy's third and fourth Type 054A frigates.[citation needed]
Pakistan Navy outgoing Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi said Navy will add more than 50 vessels, including 20 major ships, to its fleet as part of an ambitious modernisation plan to improve its capabilities.[citation needed]
Navy would operate four modifiedAda class corvette's from Turkey, two multi-purpose Yarmook class corvettes built by Dutch shipbuilderDamen Shipyards and twenty fast attack missile boats.[118][119][120][121]
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Established in 1964, the Submarine Command is a major component of the Navy whose primary mission is to conduct clandestine militaryreconnaissance forintelligence and carry outprecision strikes on enemy positions from underwater during war.[122][1][123]
There are eight submarines in active service including theHashmat-class submarines, based on theAgosta-70A class, and threeItalian–designed and locally–builtmidgetCosmos-class (designated as X-Craft) submarines.[59]: 73 The submarines are powered withdiesel-electric andair-independent propulsion.[124]
TheAgosta-class submarines are equipped with an air-independent propulsion system giving a capability of deeper dives and the ability to submerge for a longer period of time without detection.[125] They are armed withExocet andBabur-III missiles, which can be launched from underwater.[126] Two of the threeAgosta-90B class have undergone refitting and modernisation by the Turkish firm, STM.[126]
In 2014, Pakistan Navy entered in defence discussions with thePeople's Liberation Army Navy for the procurement of theYuan-classAIP powered submarines, and eventually succeeded when the technology transfer agreement was signed betweentwo nations in April 2015. Thisnational submarine program is known asHangor-class submarine features air-independent propulsion is being constructed as a joint-venture with China with the expectation of being commissioned between 2023 and 2028.[127] In a direct response toINS Arihant, the Pakistan Navy eventually succeeded getting the proposal approved for building thenuclear-powered submarine whose delivery is expected to between 2028, according to the Pakistan Navy officials.[102]
In April 2014, the Navy announced that submarine operations would move fromNaval Base Karachi to the newJinnah Naval Base inOrmara.[128]
Submarine training takes place at PNSAbdoze in Karachi. In May 2008, the Navy established the Fleet Acoustic Research and Classification Centre to validate submarine safety standards and to act as an underwater listening post to track unauthorised submarines.[129]
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The Navy has sixreplenishment oil tankers, three minehunters, and fourGriffon 2000TD hovercraft for theamphibious warfare.[130] TheLanding Craft Mechanized (LCM) are the important and center pieces for the amphibious operations undertaken by theMarines andexpeditionary actions by theArmy as the two of the LCMs are commissioned by the Navy after being handed over by theKSEW Ltd. in 2016.[131]
In 1987, the Pakistan Navy commissionedPNS Nasr, theFuqing-class, fleet tanker from China that was followed by the commissioning ofPNS Moawin (A20), of thePoolster class, from theRoyal Netherlands Navy in 1988.[130] In 1995,Poolster-class PNSMoawin was subjected to a serious fire accident that claimed valuable life during the refitting of the vessel in Karachi.[132] The Navy also operates two coastal tankers that were indigenously designed and locally built at theKarachi Shipyard— PNSGwadar and PNSKalmat— commissioned in 1984 and in 1992.[133] In 2011, the Navy commissioned two more small tankers/utility ships (STUS) —PNSMadadgar and PNSRasadgar —to support the logistics and marine operations in the open sea.[134][135]
In 1992, the Navy increased its operational capabilities inmine countermeasures with the commissioning ofPNS Munsif from theFrench Navy, followed by the technology transfer to Pakistan which led the commissioning of two more mine countermeasure vessels fromMunsif-class minehunter in 1996 and 1998.[136] Together with theMunsif-class minehunters and the replenishment oil tankers, these classes of ships are commissioned and complemented in the9th Auxiliary Squadron.[130] In 2018, the Pakistan Navy commissioned anotherPNS Moawin (A39) which was locally engineered and constructed from the crucial design guidance from Turkey – the fleet tanker is noted for being the largestwarship ever built in Pakistan.[137][138]
In 2011, the Pakistan Navy established the 21st Auxiliary Squadron to further support its fleet's logistics operations to fulfill the requirements of hydrological survey in the ocean, and the dredging operations in thearea of responsibility that includes the training requirements for the Pakistan Navy's personnel at the deeper ocean which is conducted by a dedicated Sail Training Vessel.[139] The 21st Auxiliary Squadron consists ofPNS Rah Naward, atall ship acquired from theUnited Kingdom in 2010, PNSBehr Khusha, adredging vessel commissioned from China in 2008, andPNS Behr Paima, that was commissioned fromJapan in 1983.[139][140][141][142]
The Aircraft in the Pakistan Navy provides the logistical support to the navy's readiness at all level of commands and serves as the supply platform, through helicopters, to conduct thesearch and rescue,special operations,anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and theanti-surface warfare (ASuW).[143] Unlike theIndian Navy, the Pakistan Navy does not have the rapidaircraft carrier based strike capability but relies its aerial strike operations from clear and traditionally longlanding platform built at theMehran Naval Air Station in Karachi.[144]: 66 After realising the failure to protect the harbour from the attacks of theIndian Navy in 1971, the Navy took the research on using the aircraft on sea in an attempt to lessen the dependence on thePakistan Air Force, which already covers the airspace of Pakistan, and established the naval aviation branch, theNaval Air Arm, in 1974.[143][145] whose initial pilot training takes place at thePAF Academy inRisalpur.[146]
The Navy operates theLockheed P-3 Orion,ATR 72 andHawker 800 as their fixed-wing aircraft inventory.[143] The rotary-wing aircraft in the naval air arm includes theHarbin Z-9 and theWestland Sea King. In addition, there are numbers of aircraft active in thePakistan Maritime Security Agency (MSA).[147]
Current weapon systems in the Pakistan Navy is entirely composed and focused towards missiles, serving as both weapons or a defence from a threat.[149][150]
In 1971 with the Indian Navy's introduction ofanti-ship missiles, Navy had the strong emphasis on classically using theartillery andammunition focusing towards the vintage tactics witnessed in the previous naval wars fought in theWorld War II.[151]
The Navy's primary air defence included the usage of theCAMM-ER,LY-80,FM-90,FN-16,Anza and theMistral system.[149]
The primary and standard rifle issued for the Navy is thePOFG3P4, which is standard issue by theMinistry of Defense, and is based on the German design of theHeckler and Koch G3 rifle.[148]
The Navy's ground based air defence is entrusted with the Pakistan Marines who received their weapons training at the School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta with the Pakistan Army.[96][152]
In 2016, the Navy inducted theHarbahcruise missile, based on theBabur design, that was test fired from the PNS Himmat– theAzmat-class missile boat.[153] The Navy operates theZarb cruise missile that was first test fired on 10 April 2016.[154][155]
The cruise missiles system in the Navy, theHarbah andBabur–III are the variants and derivatives of the improved version of the first cruise missile that entered in the service of thePakistan Army— theBabur cruise missile system.[156]
The military uniform in the Pakistan Navy includes the full white-wornservice uniform as seen in the footage, and is worn on regular basis by the senior ranking star officers in the Navy.[157]: 295 In the past times of 1947–2012, the Navy's uniform had closely followed the uniforms issued in the BritishRoyal Navy with star officers often wearing the full white dress while the junior officers to enlisted members only wearing dressed-up blue working uniforms as their authorised working uniform in the vessels.[157]: 295
In 2014, the Navy working uniform pattern for all officials have been changed in favour of adopting the authorised digital camouflage pattern uniform which incorporates sparse black and medium grey shapes on a light grey background.[158]
TheNavy Special Service Group follows theArmy Special Service Group's authorised uniform and wears theU.S. Woodland (M81) uniform while the Pakistan Marines have their own woodland pattern featuring light brown, olive green and blue shapes on a tan or light olive background.[158]
| Name | Photo | Type | Origin | Variant | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air defence - missile systems | ||||||
| CAMM | Medium-range surface-to-air missile |  United Kingdom / Italy | Albatross NG | 45 km | Babur-class corvettes equipped withAlbatross NG | |
| LY-80 |  | Medium-range surface-to-air missile |  People's Republic of China | LY-80N | 40+ km | Type 054A frigates equipped with LY-80 missile |
| FM-90 |  | Short-range surface-to-air missile | People's Republic of China | FM-90N | 15 km | Zulfiquar-class frigate equipped with FM-90N |
| FN-16 | Man-portable air-defense system | People's Republic of China | 6000m | |||
| KRL Anza |  | Man-portable air-defense system |  Pakistan | Mk II | 6000m | |
| Mistral | Man-portable air-defense system |  France | 6000m | |||
| Air defence - gun systems | ||||||
| Oerlikon GDF |  | Anti-aircraft gun (2 x 35mm) |  Switzerland | GDF-002 GDF-005 | 4000m | |
| Type 85 |  | Anti-aircraft gun (12.7mm) | People's Republic of China | Type 77 | 4000m | |
| Name | Photo | Type | Origin | Range | Variant | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air defence - missile systems | ||||||
| YJ-12 | ASCM | People's Republic of China | 280 km | CM-302 | Tughril-class equipped with supersonic ASCM | |
| C-602 |  | ASCM | People's Republic of China Pakistan | 280 km | Zarb | Ground based anti-ship cruise missile |
| Babur III | _VLS_doors_open.jpg) | SLCM ASCM | Pakistan | 450 km | Babur III | ModernizedAgosta-class submarine and futuristic |
| Harbah |  | ASCM LACM | Pakistan | 700 km | Babur 1B | Azmat class test fire multiple times dual anti-ship & Land attack cruise missile |
| Harpoon |  | ASCM |  United States | 125+ km | Block II | PNS Alamgir frigate and LockheedP-3C Orion equipped with Harpoon anti-ship missile |
| YJ-83 | | ASCM | People's Republic of China | 180+ km | C-802 | Zulfiquar-class frigate and Azmat-class missile crafts based anti-ship cruise missile |
| Exocet |  | ASCM | France | 120+ km | SM39 AM39 | Agosta-class submarine andMirage 5 equipped with Exocet SM39 & AM39 anti-ship missile |
From 1947 to 1991, the entirenaval infrastructure and bases of the Pakistan Navy were primarily based inKarachi with the exception of theNavy NHQ in Islamabad.[85] In the 1950s, it was the crucial help from theUnited States Navy that theKarachi Naval Dockyard was built and constructed for wartime operations.[159]: 27 Besides theNaval Base Karachi, the PNS Dhaka inEast Pakistan was the only naval base for the Pakistan Navy, dedicated for coastal operations only[160]: 24
After the Indian Navy's missile attacks in Karachi in 1971, the Navy concentrated on building and moving its operational assets inBalochistan,Punjab, and theKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[85]
These naval bases are operationalised for various purposes including the logistics and maintenance support, armoury and ammunition support, air stations, military hospitals,SEALs teams, coastal and missile defences, missile boats and submarine bases, forward operating bases etc.[85] ThePNS Zafar serves as the major logistics naval base for the Pakistani military's operational capability in the western and northern Pakistan, followed by the naval forward operating base constructed at the vicinity of theNaval War College in Lahore.[161]
The primary naval air station isPNS Mehran, followed by the establishment of the naval air stations inMakran,Ormara,Turbat and theManora Island.[162] In 2017, PNS Siddiq was commissioned to support the aerial missions for thePakistan Naval Aviation reconnaissance group to guard the safety of theCPEC.[162]
ThePNS Hameed, commissioned in 2017, is aVLF facility near the Karachi coast, while the Karachi-basedPNS Iqbal and thePNS Qasim serves for the operational activities dedicated for theNavy Special Service Group and theMarines.[163] TheJinnah Naval Base and proposedKalmat Naval Base are dedicated towards maintaining and harbouring the country's strategic assets such as the nuclear-capable submarines.[164][165]
Besides deployment within Pakistan, the Pakistan Navy, along with the inter-services branches, are permanently based in different parts in theSaudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates.[166]
The Navy operates five hospitals:
From its commencement in August 1947, the Pakistan Navy had traditionally followed theranks and insignia of theRoyal Navy but disbanded in favour of adopting theofficer ranks system of theUnited States Navy as early as the 1950s.[59][170]: 73
Unlike the army or air force where there are several paths to become the officers, there is only one way of becoming the naval officer by must attending thePakistan Naval Academy—after passing out theboot camp inManora Island— for one-and-half year for them to be able topassed out from the academy.[171]
Thepassed out cadets gaincommission in the Navy asmidshipman, taking their first assignment in an open-sea ship that gives them the experience of life at sea while being trained in different careers on board.[171] The training of thepassed out midshipman usually lasts till six months before rotating back to the naval academy to be promoted as theSub-lieutenants.[171] Their college education is provided at thePakistan Navy Engineering College inKarachi for three years, pursuing abachelor's degree in their choice of career.[171]
The Pakistan Navy has the same officer rank hierarchy as theRoyal Navy; insigniaare similar to the Royal Navy except that commodore's and admiral's shoulder boards have a star and crescent instead of a crown.[172][failed verification]
Besides the military officers, the Department of Navy also offers employments to civilians in financial management, accountancy, medical services, computing, and administration, and has currently employed ≈2,000 civilians that met the Navy's quota in 2018.[173]
| Rank group | General ranks / Senior flag officers | Star rank senior officers / Junior flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Pakistan Navy[174] |   |   |   |   |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Admiral ایڈمرل | Vice admiral وائس ایڈمرل | Rear admiral بحریہ کا امیر | Commodore کموڈور | Captain کپتان | Commander کمانڈر | Lieutenant commander لیفٹیننٹ کمانڈر | Lieutenant لیفٹیننٹ | Sub-lieutenant سب لیفٹیننٹ | Midshipman مڈ شپ مین | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The recruitment and the enlistment in the navy is nationwide and the recruitment in the Navy is carried out by the release of the employment tender in theprint newspapers andtelevised commercials twice a year– first group attending the boot camp in May and the second being directed on November.[175] The Directorate of Recruitment that is located in theNavy NHQ in Islamabad controls the recruiting offices and centers in all over the country— the recruiting offices are located inPunjab,Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,Sindh, andBalochistan.[176] Before 1966, almost all the enlisted personnel and officers had to be sent to attend the military academies in theUnited Kingdom to be educated and to be trained in technical branches for the Pakistan Navy.[19]: 90
After passing out from the nine-month long boot camp, the enlisted personnel are directed for subsequent job training at thePNS Karsaz in Karachi on the matters of technical subjects and assigned for different branches in the Navy.[175]
Promotion in the Navy from the enlistment to officers ranks are much quicker than the army or the air force, as the Department of Navy offers financial aid to those enlisted personnel successful in their profession to attend thecolleges and universities.[175] Most of the enlisted personnel rarely stays in their enlisted ranks at the time of their retirement as most retires at junior officer ranks once reaching their retirement age of 62[19]: 90
Their technical experiences in their fields is consolidated into the professional training that forms their basis to attend the respective university for them to earn the four-year college degree.[175]
Thenoncommissioned officers (or enlists) wear respective anchors color patches or badges chevrons on their shoulders.[175] Retirement age for the enlisted personnel varies and depends on the enlisted ranks that they have attained during their services.[175]
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan Navy |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Master chief petty officer ماسٹر چیف پیٹی آفیسر | Fleet chief petty officer فلیٹ چیف پیٹی آفیسر | Chief petty officer چیف پیٹی آفیسر | Petty officer چھوٹا افسر | Leading seaman معروف سی مین | Able seaman قابل ملاح | Ordinary seaman عام سی مین | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After the Navy was established in August 1947, the Navy had to send its officers and enlisted personnel to be trained at theBritannia Royal Naval College in theUnited Kingdom whose training and education by the BritishRoyal Navy was crucial at all levels of cadet's learning and schooling.[19][177]: 91 During its earliest time in 1947, the Department of Navy had only 3,800 personnel (200officers, 3,000 Enlists, and 500 civilian employees) as the Navy faced the same problems as itsDepartment of Army as the most technical enlisted personnel and skilled executive officers werePunjabi Muslims while others hadUrdu-speaking background (i.e.Indian immigrants as naturalised citizens of Pakistan).[18]: 47
After 1971, theBhutto administration introduced thequota system to give fair chance to the residents ofKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa andBalochistan to enlist in the military.[59]: 75 In 2012, Sanhia Karim became the firstBalochi woman to be commissioned into the navy, she joined in a squad consisting of fifty-three female officers and seventy-two enlists fromBalochistan,Pakistan.[178][better source needed] In 2012, the Navy pushed its personnel strength to Balochistan after sending a large formation of Baloch university students to Navy Engineering Colleges and War College as well as staff schools to complete their officer training requirements.[179] The Navy established three additional facilities in Balochistan to supervise the training to its personnel.[179]
Recruitment in the Navy remains to be challenge for the naval recruiters to enlists citizens and their selfless commitment to the military from theurbanised metropolitan cities where the preference ofcollege education (especially attendingpost-graduate schooling in theUnited States and theEnglish-speaking countries) is much higher and strongly desirable.[18]: 80 Furthermore, the medical standards and education levels required by the Department of Navy to be able to perform technical jobs also poses significant challenges as the Navy requiring the significant percentage marks once thematriculation examinations are concluded.[175]
The Navy has only oneboot camp, thePNSHimalaya inManora Island, where thebasic military training takes place.[175] The basic military training at thePNS Himalaya goes for nine-months where instructions on military life is given while thephysical conditioning is strongly emphasised.[180] Theofficer cadets are sent to attend thePakistan Naval Academy where their training lasts for two years before they are able topass out from the Naval Academy.[19]: 93 [171] Once passing out, the commissioned junior officers must spend six-month deployment inArabian Sea before being selected to attend the professional schools, such as theNaval Engineering College in Karachi, to move towards attaining the bachelor's degree in a period of four-years.[171]
As the estimates made in 2003 and 2009, the Navy had approximately ≈30,200 active duty personnel.[181] In 2014, the estimates established the Navy's manpower strength at 30,700 active duty personnel.[182] but its combined manpower strength is increased and approximated at ≈40,500 personnel based on recent estimates in 2018.[59]: 73
The Pakistan Navy offers the wide range of lucrative careers to the high school graduates in the technical fields by issuing specialised diplomas and certifications at thePNS Karsaz and the PNS Bahadur, which consists of the schools of operations, underwater, surface weapons, communications, and the naval police.[175][183] Instructions and technical education on technical fields and the engineering are primarily taught at thePakistan Navy Engineering College that is open for both military and public admission, and offers college degree programs at undergraduate and post-graduate level.[184]
When the Navy was established in 1947, there was no technical schools for the Navy to look after the ship maintenance andpower machinery that led to the establishment of the Pakistan Naval Polytechnic Institute (PNPI) in 1951 and theNavy Engineering College in 1962 whose admissions are open to public besides the military personnel.[185] From 1947 to 1967, the Navy had to rely on the education and training provided by theRoyal Navy at all levels of schooling, and had to send most of its officers and enlisted men to be trained at theBritannia Royal Naval College at theDartmouth and theRoyal Naval College in Greenwich who were mostly trained in communication and navigation.[186] Training on the operations of warships and education on themilitary staffing was crucial for the Pakistan Navy in the 1960s under theUnited States-sponsoredInternational Military Education and Training (IMET) arranged for Pakistan under theSecurity Assistance Program (SAP) as the U.S. Navy's officers served in the faculty of the engineering and technical schools of the Navy.[187]: 190 [self-published source?]
In 1966, thePakistan Naval Academy was established under the guidance of theUnited States Navy, and is a premier institution of higher learning whose alumni included the Commanders of theRoyal Qatari Navy,Royal Saudi Navy, and theSri Lanka Navy while other nations naval cadets have also attended the naval academy.[186]
In 1968, thePakistan Naval War College was established inLahore, whose curriculum is very similar to theNaval War College in theUnited States, is a primary military staff college which offers critical thinking techniques and developing ideas for naval warfare to the officers in the army and the air force.[188] In 1970, theSchool of Logistics and Management was established that conducts research on military logistics and management in impartingnaval warfare techniques to the military officers serving in the army, air force, and marines departments of the Pakistani military.[189]
After the1971 war with India, the Navy established several schools on strategy, naval warfare, and weapons tactics by commissioning the PNS Bahadur in 1981 as the navy established schools are listed below:
| Navy schools and colleges | Year of establishment | School and college principal locations | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naval Polytechnic Institute | 1951 | Karachi in Sindh | "Naval Polytechnic Institute". |
| PNS Karsaz | 1954 | Karachi inSindh | "PNS Karsaz". |
| Navy Engineering College | 1962 | Karachi inSindh | "Pakistan Navy Engineering College". |
| Submarine School | 1964 | Karachi in Sindh | "Submarine School". |
| PNS Iqbal | 1967 | Karachi in Sindh | "PNS Iqbal—Naval Special Warfare School". Archived fromthe original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved4 February 2019. |
| Naval War College | 1968 | Lahore inPunjab | "Naval War College". |
| School of Logistics and Management | 1970 | Karachi in Sindh | "School of Logistics and Management". |
| School of Aviation | 1975 | Karachi in Sindh | "School of Aviation". |
| PNS Bahadur | 1980 | Karachi in Sindh | "PNS Bahadur". |
| PNS Rahnuma | 1982 | Karachi in Sindh | - |
| Navigation and Operations School | 1981 | Karachi in Sindh | "Navigation and Operations School". |
| Surface Weapons School | 1981 | Karachi in Sindh | "Surface Weapons School". |
| Underwater Warfare School | 1981 | Karachi in Sindh | "Underwater Warfare School". |
| Communications School | 1981 | Karachi in Sindh | "Communications School". |
| Navy Hydrography School | 1984 | Karachi in Sindh | "Hydrography School". |
| Navy School of Music | 1993 | Karachi in Sindh | "School of Music". |
| Naval Police School | 1997 | Karachi in Sindh | "Regulating and Provost School". |
| Information Warfare School | 2002 | Karachi in Sindh | "Information Warfare School". |
| Naval Special Operation Training Center | 2015 | Nathia Gali in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | "Naval STOC".Facebook. Archived fromthe original on 26 February 2022. |
| Public schooling and universities | Year of establishment | School and college principal locations | Website |
| Pakistan Navy School | 1999 | Karachi in Sindh | |
| Bahria University | 2000 | Islamabad in Pakistan | "Bahria University". Archived fromthe original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved4 February 2019. |
| Bahria College, Nore 1 Karachi | 1986 | Karachi in Sindh | "Bahria College Karachi". |
| Bahria College, Naval Complex Islamabad | 1986 | Islamabad in Pakistan | |
| Bahria College, Karsaz Karachi | 1986 | Karachi in Sindh | "Bahria College, Karsaz". Archived fromthe original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved4 February 2019. |
| Cadet College Petaro | 1957 | Jamshoro in Sindh | "Petaro". |
| Cadet College Ormara | 1987 | Ormara in Balochistan | "Cadet College Ormara". |
| Higher education institutions | Year of establishment | locations | Website |
| National Defense University | 1971 | Islamabad | "National Defense University". Archived fromthe original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved4 February 2019. |
| National University of Sciences and Technology | 1991 | Multiple campuses | "National University of Sciences and Technology". Archived fromthe original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved4 February 2019. |
Source:Pakistan Navy (Official Website)
Established in 1971, theNational Defense University (NDU) in Islamabad is the most senior and premier institute of higher learning that provides the advancecritical thinking level and research-basedstrategy level education to the senior military officers in the Pakistani military.[190]: 9–10 The NDU is a significant institution of higher learning in understanding the institutional norms of military tutelage in Pakistan because it constitutes the "highest learning platform where the military leadership comes together for common instruction", according to thesis written by Pakistani author Aqil Shah.[191]: 8 Without securing theirgraduation from their master's program at the NDU, no officer in the Pakistani military can be promoted as general in the army or air force, or admiral in the navy or marines as it is a prerequisite for their promotion to become a senior member at theJoint Chiefs of Staff Committee.[191]: 8–9
Additionally, the platform provided at the NDU represents a radical shift from the emphasis on operational and staff functions and the level of ranks are imposed as qualification to attend themaster's program at the NDU, usuallybrigadiers,air commodores, andcommodores, are invited to given admission in broad range of strategic, political, social, and economic factors as these factors affect the country's national security.[191]: 8–9 In this sense, the NDU becomes the critical thinking institution as its constitutes active-duty senior military officers corps' baptism into a shared ideological framework about the military's appropriate role, status, and behavior in relation to state and society, and shared values affect how these officers perceive and respond to civilian governmental decisions, policies, and political crises.[190]: 9–10 Admission to the NDU is not restricted to military officials, but civilians can also attend and graduate, allowing them to explore the broader aspects of national security.[191]: 8–9
Established in 1991, theNational University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has now absorbed and amalgamated the existing naval engineering college, and is a counterpart institution inscience and technology to that of the NDU in Islamabad.[192] Besides the strategic and military education, the Navy leads some marine scientific programs via theNaval Observatory while it leads the research onhydrography by conducting thehydrographic survey through thePNS Behr Paima, and provides support to the oceanographic program led by the civilianNational Institute of Oceanography (NIO).[193]
From 1947 to 1956, the Pakistan Navy had stuck with theEnsign of theRoyal Indian Navy that featured the BritishQueen's colors and the white flag.[194]: 264 The Navy continued the tradition that it inherited from theRoyal Indian Navy and British culture that was common with theRoyal Navy until the American military advisers was attached the guide the Navy on military arts and science under theMilitary Advisory Assistance Group by theEisenhower administration in 1956.[59]: 73
Since then, the Navy's tradition and culture is commonly and uniquenly influenced from theUnited States Navy.[59]: 73
After the promulgation of theConstitution in 1956, the Navy gained its independence from the BritishRoyal patronage and became the federal institution of the armed forces commissioned by the electedPresident of Pakistan. The prefixRoyal was permanently removed from the Navy as well as disbanding the British monarch culture and tradition in the Navy.
Thenaval jack and the ensign flag of the Navy immediately replaced theQueen'scolours and the white ensign entirely, instead the dark blue color with the anchor crest of the Navy was adopted while the blue anchor was added in the side of the corner white colored section on thenational flag of Pakistan. Since then, the naval jack has always flown in the warships of the Pakistan Navy while the naval ensign of the Navy is commonly used by thePakistan Marines as their primary war flag.
The Pakistan Navy has played an integral part in the civil society of Pakistan, almost since its inception.[195] In 1996, General Jehangir Karamat described Pakistan armed forces' relations with the society:
In my opinion, if we have to repeat of past events then we must understand that Military leaders can pressure only up to a point. Beyond that their own position starts getting undermined because the military is after all is a mirror image of the civil society from which it is drawn.
— General Jehangir Karamat on civil society–military relations[195]
In times of national calamities and emergencies, the Pakistan Navy has been deployed in relief operations and nation building programs in the country.[196] In 2004, a tactical task force under then-CommodoreAsif Sandila coordinated the peacetime relief operations inMaldives,Sri Lanka,Indonesia, andBangladesh when theunderwater earthquake caused a tsunami and struck the South Asian nations.[197][198][199][200][201][202] In 2005, the Navy deployed thePNSBadr (D-184) to help assists the relief efforts for theearthquake that struck the northern part of the country in October 2005.[52]
In 2010, the Navy coordinated one of itslargest relief operations during thenationwide flash floods, with Navy divers rescuing and evacuating more than 352,291 people in August 2010.[203] In addition, the Navy and Marines personnel provided 43,850 kg of food and relief goods to flood victims; 5,700 kg of ready-to-cook food, 1,000 kg of dates and 5,000 kg of food has been dispatched to Sukkur.[204]As of January 2011[update], under the programPN Model Village, the Navy's civil engineering corps built the model houses in the affected areas for theinternally displaced person (IDPs).[205]
On 10 June 2018, Pakistan Navy and Maritime Security Agency rescued elevenIranian crew members on a sunken Iranian boat in the NorthernArabian Sea, about 230 kilometres (140 mi) away fromKarachi.[206][207]
The Pakistan Navy has the wider commercial and financial interests in the country, and is a forerunner of theBahria Foundation (lit. 'Naval Foundation').[208] From 1996 to 2000, the Navy was a major sponsor of theBahria Town– the real estate enterprise – and reportedly received market shares for the use of its name in commercial building projects.[209] In 2002, the Navy filed a civil lawsuit to refrain theBahria Town using its name for profiteering – the lawsuit was eventually settled in civil court in favour of Navy in 2018.[209]
For external billets appointment, the federal government takes the senior leadership of the Navy as secondment to manage the federal institutions such as theKarachi Port Trust,Port of Karachi and thePort of Gwadar.[210][211]
Inmilitary awards hierarchy, theNishan-e-Haider (lit. 'Order of Lion Urdu نشان حیدر abbreviated as NH') is the highest and the most prestigious honour awarded posthumously for bravery and actions of valor in event of war.[212]: 220 Established in March 1956 by theConstitution, this award is an equivalent to the AmericanMedal of Honor, BritishVictoria Cross (VC), RussianOrder of St. Andrew, or the FrenchLegion of Honour.[213]: 87 Unlike the AmericanMedal of Honor, theNishan-e-Haider (NH) has only been conferred to those who have been "martyred" and proved their distinguished valor of actions in an event of conflict or war.[214]: 5 [215]
Since the commencement of the Navy on 15 August 1947, no naval officer has been honoured or bestowed with the medal. After thePNS Mehran attack on 22 May 2011, a recommendation was sent by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the President of Pakistan to posthumously honour Lt.Syed Yasir Abbas[216][217] for his heroic actions during the attack but nothing came of it.[218][219]
Pakistani authorities say the submarine sank because of either an internal explosion or accidental blast of mines that the submarine itself was laying around Vizag harbour.
On December 9, the Navy announced that they had sunk the Ghazi on December 4, after the start of the war. Later, officers were decorated for their role and the offensive action of their ships in the sinking of the Ghazi. After the war, however, teams of divers confirmed that it was an internal explosion that sank the Ghazi. The log of the Ghazi was recovered and the last entry as far as I can recall was on November 29, 1971. Sadly, that too has been destroyed.
In a two-seek war, Pakistan lost half its navy.
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