Pakistan Navy to acquire Chinese warships

Pakistan Navy to acquire Chinese warships
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

ISLAMABAD, JAN 11: Pakistan's navy, in a $630 million modernisation plan, is to acquire a frontline Chinese warship and build three others indigenously under technology transfer, according to Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza.

Declaring that the process of acquisition of the four warships would be completed by the next decade, Admiral Aziz said that procurement of warships from China would be cost-effective in comparison with the purchase of ships from other western countries.

The Pakistan naval chief was quoted by The News International

as saying that induction of Chinese warships was part of moves by the navy to phase out British built destroyers in a staggered manner during the next 10 years.

Aziz, the paper said also hinted at moves to develop Gawadar port on the Makran coast in Baluchistan as an alternative to the country's main seaport Karachi, which he said was vulnerable to Indian warships.

The naval chief said that building of an alternative seaport was also a must keeping in view plans to lay gas pipelines from Central Asian States via Afghanistan. He also said that Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Qater had shown interest in the acquisition of French-built Agosta submarines from Pakistan. Aziz also said that Pakistan would soon acquire a survey ship at a cost of $70-75 million.