Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reporter | Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan have jointly inaugurated a corvette warship PNS Khyber at Istanbul shipyard Turkey, built by
Turkey for the Pakistani Navy under a strategic cooperation project, a media report said on Saturday Nov 26.
Marriyum Aurangzeb,Federal Minister for Information&Broadcasting tweeted on Nov 25.2022
Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif, who along with a delegation of ministers and officials is on a two-day visit to
Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish President, during the inauguration on Friday said that the launch of PNS Khyber represents the deepening of defense cooperation between the two nations, the state-run Associated
Press of Pakistan reported.
Marriyum Aurangzeb,Federal Minister for Information&Broadcasting tweeted on Nov 25.2022
“It was high time that Pakistan and Turkey transform their ties into a strategic partnership as the world was
envious of the relationship between two brotherly countries,” Sharif said during the inauguration of PNS
Khyber at the Istanbul shipyard. “The launch of the ship manifested the deep bilateral engagement between
the two countries in defense cooperation.”
PNS Khyber is third of the four corvette ships that has been built by Turkey for the Pakistani Navy under a
joint cooperation project, has a length of 99 meters (325 feet), a displacement capacity of 2,400 tones, and a
speed of 29 nautical miles. As Turkey is one of 10 countries in the world capable of designing, building, and
maintaining warships with domestic resources.
Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi said, “the inclusion of the warships built by ASFAT Inc -- a
Turkish state-owned defense contractor firm -- will be a "huge boost to our defense" and will keep the
country's enemies at bay.
"Weakness invites aggression, but strength keeps your enemy at bay. So, the inclusion of the MILGEM-class
ships will significantly strengthen the Pakistan Navy in a very big way," the naval chief told the official Turkish
news agency Anadolu Agency.
He said the new warships were “very capable platforms, equipped with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air
weapon systems”.
He described the warships as a "truly collaborative military production", adding that they "will be a very good addition to our fleet, ensuring that our (territorial) waters are safe and our defense needs are met".
In response to a question about increased defense cooperation between the two nations, Pakistan Navy chiefNiazi noted: "Both militaries are continuously exchanging knowledge and expertise. Construction and upgradation projects such as 17,000 tons Fleet Tanker, PN-MILGEM and Agosta 90B submarines, Super Mushak trainers, UAV drones, and so on are evidence of this strong friendship and military cooperation." Under the bilateral project, Turkey
was tasked to build four corvette warships for the Pakistan Navy -- two in Istanbul and two in Karachi.
The first corvette warship for the Pakistan Navy known as PNS Babar was launched in Istanbul in August 2021 while the foundation stone for the second ship PNS Badr was laid in Karachi in May 2022, another report on
the inauguration ceremony by the Dawn newspaper said.
Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif during the inauguration informed that the fourth warship would be delivered in
February 2025.
