THE recent conflict with India highlighted the fact that all the three forces of Pakistan were fully prepared and motivated to defend every inch of the motherland.
No doubt, the focus of the short war remained on lethality of the air power, missiles and drones but it was also because of alertness of the ground and naval forces that the enemy could not dare launch any offensive despite its highly aggressive posture and designs.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has, therefore, done well by paying visits to Army, Navy and Air Force facilities and meeting defence forces personnel to acknowledge their commitment to the defence of the country and their unmatched valour as demonstrated during hostilities with India, which raised the head of every Pakistani.
Pakistan Navy deserves special mention as it successfully kept the enemy at bay despite a huge disparity of numbers and more technologically advanced Indian Navy.
It is known to all that the Indian Navy possesses a larger fleet, including aircraft carriers and more submarines, destroyers and frigates than Pakistan but the PN thwarted designs of the enemy with its prudent strategy and alertness.
It was in this backdrop that the Prime Minister was briefed, on Monday, about PN’s strategic orientation, operational undertakings and noteworthy contributions during the ongoing operation.
It was because of professionalism of the Navy that Pakistan’s ports remained fully operational, with commercial ships moving smoothly at Karachi and Bin Qasim, while India’s western coast saw a decline in commercial activities.
All this happened despite credible reports that the Indian Navy was planning to harm maritime interests of Pakistan on the assumption of its numerical and technological superiority.
As highlighted by the Prime Minister, India’s recent failed and humiliating campaign showed the world that the Pakistan Navy was fully prepared.
Naval weapons were strategically positioned and the Navy was ready to repeat the memories of Dwarka.
India’s so-called pride, the aircraft carrier Vikrant, did not dare to come within 400 nautical miles—another testament to Pakistan’s unmatched defensive strategy and unwavering resolve.
The entire nation was confident that if India committed any naval aggression, the Pakistan Navy would teach them such a lesson that they would never dare to look at Pakistan with ill intent again.
In a befitting tribute to the defence forces, the PM underlined how the Army precisely targeted enemy locations with Fatah missiles and other military weapons, while the Air Force taught the enemy a lesson with advanced technology—a lesson the enemy will remember until the Day of Judgement.
Similarly, the Navy was fully prepared, just like the Army and Air Force as naval weapons were strategically positioned and the Navy was ready to repeat the memories of Dwarka, which was a dreaded dream for India.
In fact, the continuation of all commercial maritime activities in itself is a proud achievement of the Pakistan Navy.
This is not for the first time that the Pakistan Navy has demonstrated its capability to safeguard interests of the country successfully because it also effectively thwarted designs of the enemy during peacetime to undermine economic interests of Pakistan as we witnessed in the case of CPEC related activities.
The morale and commitment of the PN is a national pride but it must be borne in mind that we committed criminal negligence as far as modernization of the Navy is concerned.
There is no worthwhile achievement in the realm of indigenous production of critical components of naval warfare and lack of resources prevents genuinely needed modernization through acquired assets (imports).
It is understood that with its limited resources, Pakistan cannot afford to enter into an arms race with India but we must make necessary investment to achieve the capability of naval deterrence.
