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