In a major development, China will deploy its naval vessel in co-ordination with Pakistan at the Gwadar port in Balochistan.
China would deploy its naval ships in coordination with Pakistan Navy to safeguard the port and trade under the CPEC, an official of Pakistan Navy told The Express Tribune.
Besides the joint deployment of warships, Pakistan is also considering the purchase of super-fast vessels from China and Turkey for a special squadron to be positioned at Gwadar to secure the deep sea port, an unnamed Pakistan Navy official was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
“A squadron may have four to six warships,” the official said on the sidelines of the IDEAS 2016 defence exhibition in Karachi.
The super-fast vessels would be “bought soon” in view of their immediate need in the fleet and two warships had already been deployed at Gwadar, the official said.
The official said the role of maritime forces has increased in Pakistan since the country has made the Gwadar Seaport operational and speeded up economic activities under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Pakistan has kicked off the process of establishing the largest shipyard of the region in Gwadar. A similar ship-building project is being deliberated at the Port Qasim in Karachi, Tribune quoted another naval official as saying.
The two advanced shipyards would design and develop ships and other security equipment for Pakistan Navy.
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