Navy chief unveils expansion plan

The Pakistan Navy, whose strength lags far behind that of nuclear-armed rival India, plans to expand by obtaining Chinese and French technology along with purchases of military hardware from the United States, the naval chief said yesterday.

Pakistan needs a lot more ships and submarines, Admiral Shahid Karimullah, chief of naval staff, told a news briefing in Karachi, on the second day of the international defence exhibition called IDEAS 2004.

"India has no dearth of weapons supply from Russia, whereas we suffered because of (American) sanctions," he said.

"We have disparity in every field, whether you talk of ships or submarines."

"The disparity between the Pakistani and Indian navy is colossal. It is not to our liking," he said.
Karimullah said although Washington lifted these sanctions after Pakistan joined the US-led war on terror, their impact was still being felt.

India has a huge advantage because of its big economic base, he said.

"That's why the country plans to keep a minimum deterrence in both conventional and non-conventional weapons."

Pakistan Navy officials say the gap in the number of ships between the Pakistan and Indian navies was around one to five.

"For defensive purposes the Pakistan Navy is well prepared to guard Pakistan's 900 km coastline, but still India has a huge advantage," said an official requesting anonymity.

Pakistan maintains that India's superiority in conventional weapons was a destabilizing factor in South Asia.

Karimullah added that peace talks with India were a welcome step, but the two nations should resolve the Kashmir dispute for a lasting peace.

He said Pakistan's defence industry had expanded rapidly in recent years and the Navy had benefited from this expansion.

The Pakistan Navy aims for self-reliance and built its own ships and submarines, which it is also ready to sell to friendly countries, he added.

IDEAS 2004 would go a long way towards achieve this goal, he added.

Exhibitors and delegates from around 60 nations, including the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain are participating in the exhibition, which is being held under tight security because of the fear terror assaults by Al Qaida and its local sympathisers.

Pakistan, which annually exports around $100 million worth of weapons and ammunition, is also hoping to boost these sales further through the exhibition.

The naval chief said besides Agosta 90B submarines, which Pakistan built with French help, it is also offering to sell indigenously built missile boats, mine cleaners and floating platforms.

Pakistan has already inducted two Agostas built in the country with French help. A third, with greater capability of remaining submerged in the water, is now under construction, he said.

Three days ago, Pakistan inducted two indigenously built missile boats to its fleet. "Another major project is of building frigates with Chinese help," he said.