The Pakistan Navy (PN) (Urdu: پاکستان بحریہ; romanized: Pākistān Bahrí'a; pronounced [ˈpaːkɪstaːn baɦɽia]) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff (romanized: Urdu: بحری سربراہ) a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The Pakistan Navy operates on the coastline of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. It was established in August 1947, following the independence of Pakistan from the United Kingdom.[5]
The primary role of the Pakistan Navy is to defend Pakistan's sea frontiers from any external enemy attack.[6][7] In addition to its war services, the Navy has mobilized its war assets to conduct humanitarian rescue operations at home as well as participating in multinational task forces mandated by the United Nations to prevent seaborne terrorism and piracy off the coasts.[8][9]
The Pakistan Navy is a volunteer force which has been in conflict with neighbouring India twice on its sea borders, and has been repeatedly deployed in the Indian Ocean to act as a military advisor to Gulf Arab states and other friendly nations during the events of multinational conflict as part of its commitment to the United Nations.[10]: 88 The Navy has several components including the Naval Aviation, Marines, and the Maritime Security Agency (a coast guard).[11][12][13] Since its commencement, the defensive role of the Navy has expanded from securing the sealines and becoming the custodian of Pakistan's second strike capability with an ability to launch underwater missile system to target enemy positions.[14]
The Chief of Naval Staff is nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the President of Pakistan. Admiral Naveed Ashraf is the incumbent chief since 7 October 2023.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NIT Pakistan Directoratewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2024). The Military Balance 2024. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781032780047.
- ^ "Pakistan Navy – Commandments". www.paknavy.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "Official History of Pakistan Navy". www.paknavy.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Daily Times". Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ Khan, (Retd.) Commander Muhammad Azam (2011). "Options for Pakistan Navy: § Pakistan Navy: A sentinel for energy and economic security". United States Naval Academy. p. 7.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Roy-Chaudhury, Rahul (2000). India's Maritime Security. Knowledge World. p. 208. ISBN 9788186019290. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- ^ (Iiss), The International Institute of Strategic Studies (14 February 2017). The Military Balance 2017. Routledge, Chapman & Hall, Incorporated. ISBN 9781857439007. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ Mills, J.M. (2003). Exploring polar frontiers: a historical encyclopedia. 1 (A–M). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
- ^ PN, Pakistan Navy. "Pakistan Navy: Hydrography". Naval Inter-Service Public Relation (Naval ISPR). Pakistan Navy Department of National Research and Hydrography. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Zahra-Malik, Mehreen; Macfie, Nick (10 January 2017). "Pakistan fires 'first submarine-launched nuclear-capable missile'". Reuters. Islamabad. Reuters Pakistan Bureau. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.