President General Pervez Musharraf says "a strong and viable navy is indispensable" for obtaining conducive maritime environment. Although Pakistan is blessed with enormous maritime potential. This sector remained neglected for the past many decades, he said.
While addressing opening session of Pakistan Navy's War Game Exercise Shamsheer-e-Behr III on Tuesday at PNS Jauhar, Karachi. Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Ehsanul Haq, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, and senior officers of three services were also present.
President Musharraf said the government is cognisant of importance of sea and focused on development of maritime sector. In this regard, development of Gwadar deep seaport is a manifestation of government's resolve for uplift of maritime sector. Gwadar port holds great potential for the country's economy. He reiterated that Navy has been given due priority in the Armed Forces Development Plan.
The President noted that Pakistan Navy is the only regional force that has held command of the multi-national Task Force-150 twice, which is "indeed manifestation of its professional prowess and standing internationally."
He said these undertakings have not only helped raise stature of Pakistan but also reflected the country's resolve towards maintaining stability in the regional maritime domain.
Earlier, in biennial exercise of Navy, in which elements of Army and Air Force are also participating, the opposing force commanders presented their concept of operations. The War Game is designed to revalidate Navy's operational concepts and evaluate new ones in the backdrop of emerging trends in regional and geo-strategic environment.