New attack craft inducted into Pakistan navy

A Chinese-made fast attack craft armed with missiles was inducted into the Pakistan navy on Thursday, with Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman Gen Khalid Wynne saying the vessel's firepower would help strengthen the defence of the country's territorial waters.

The PNS Azmat was formally inducted in the Pakistan navy during a ceremony held at the naval dockyard in Karachi.

The fast attack craft is the first vessel of its kind in the Pakistani fleet. Wynne said Pakistan had been a proponent of peaceful coexistence and had no aggressive designs against any country.

However, he added that Pakistan could not "remain oblivious of the requirements of the country's defence".

PNS Azmat is the embodiment of the Pakistan navy's endeavours to remain relevant in the contemporary environment through the induction of modern platforms.

He said he was sure the capabilities and firepower of the PNS Azmat would help strengthen the defence of the country's territorial waters.

Another fast attack craft of the same class is being built at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works. Wynne also lauded the defence cooperation between China and Pakistan and said the longstanding ties between the two sides are a 'manifestation of an enduring, multidimensional and deep-rooted relation'.

The PNS Azmat is fitted with modern weapons and sensors and a variety of "soft and hard kill terminal defence systems", officials said. The vessel will provide operational flexibility to the navy, they said.