By Myrah Baloch
Pakistan is a country that has never refrained from extending its support towards other countries. It has been an active member of UN peacekeeping missions and has strived hard to endorse regional cooperation and harmony. One such initiative on behalf of Pakistan Navy was the conduct of AMAN exercise in 2007 where different friendly regional and international naval forces were invited. Ever since, AMAN has become a major international naval exercise held biennially that serves as a joint forum for collective exchange of ideas, adopting strategic approach, tactics and techniques involved to counter maritime threats and enhance regional cooperation. Up till now seven AMAN exercises have been held with increased number of participants every time. ‘AMAN’, as the name suggests, is an embodiment of Pakistan Navy’s commitment to maintaining peace and stability in maritime domain. This year, the 8th AMAN exercise is scheduled from 10th – 14th Feb 2023 with expected participation of more than 50 countries in addition to Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference (PIMEC), which would be the major highlight of the event. The flagship event aims to promote blue economy, attract investors, stakeholders and display latest maritime technology and services. It is expected to yield fruitful results in the form of regional cooperation and national and international recognition. The conduct of AMAN exercise is divided into two phases. The harbour phase aims to promote mutual exchange of maritime information, regional and cultural cooperation and security measures via International Maritime Conference (IMC) and sports matches. Whereas, the second phase includes sea activities comprising of RAS operations, Search & Rescue operations (SAR), fly pasts, Rocket Depth Charge (RDC) firing, International Fleet Review (IFR), counter piracy exercise with an approach to tackle asymmetric threats through multinational cooperation. The second phase also aims to develop practices and protocols in synergy with friendly countries while dealing with threats in maritime domain.
At a time where the world is turning to oceans for trade due to scarcity of land resources, the Indian Ocean contributes US $1.5 trillion to the world economy. It has a diverse aquaculture, fish produce, minerals and countless marine species. This adds to Pakistan’s significant geostrategic location on the world map.
Its warm seaports remain active throughout the year, providing access to the land locked Central Asian countries, Afghanistan and China through Gwadar and Karachi. The deep sea port of Gwadar has greatly aided the reliance on warm waters for trade and foreign import and export and in turn has made sea trade a much cheaper means of transport of goods rather than land.
Moreover, following China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the one belt one road initiative has made Pakistan the hub of sea trade which has offered feasible transit routes and enhanced regional connectivity. On the contrary, it has also made our adversaries more rigid in their efforts to corner and isolate Pakistan and defame its image by making our waters prone to maritime vices like narcotics, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and sea piracy.
Hence events like AMAN and PIMEC are crucial as means to counter the above mentioned malicious intents and to present Pakistan as a reliable partner for future cooperation. Under these circumstances, AMAN emerges as a collaborated effort that reflects Pakistan’s soft image at a global platform. AMAN serves as a united resolve against sea piracy and crimes in maritime domain.
PIMEC on the other hand tends to serve as an ideal opportunity to raise awareness regarding maritime affairs, explore joint ventures and to draw investments from industries across the globe. It serves as a platform for showcasing our maritime potential, enables to establish mutually beneficial relationships among different stakeholders worldwide, helps in paving way for regional connectivity that will greatly boast up the economy. It is a first of its kind event meant to set a precedent for times to come highlighting the importance of blue economy.
Thus AMAN and PIMEC sends out a clear cut message to the world in general and to our enemies in particular that when push comes to shovel, Pakistan will not leave any stone unturned or deter to overcome malicious schemes and that, it still continues to emerge as a strong regional power, whose importance can never be undermined. In regards to PIMEC, Pakistan is taking the challenge of adopting practices of blue economy head on while stream lining its economic environment to further promote it.
Blue economy of Pakistan offers a wide range of maritime sectors peculiar to its geostrategic position which includes coastal tourism, deep sea-bed mining, resource extraction, fisheries, oceanic renewable energy etc. Furthermore it tends to offer great opportunities for investment in Pakistan mainly in Port development, ship-breaking, coastal urbanization and tourism sectors.
In a nutshell, Pakistan is naturally favoured and bestowed with huge natural resources which makes it a key player in the Indian Ocean region thus bringing us a step closer to greater prosperity and economic progress if put to effective use.