After the US, now the Pakistan Navy has sent its warship โPNS Saifโ (FFG-253) to Bangladesh for the first time since its independence. It arrived at Chittagong Port on Saturday on a four-day goodwill visit as a sequel to the high-level visits of ministers and military officials, as well as militant leaders, since the changeover in August last year.
Built in China and commissioned into the Pakistan Navy in 2010, it is an F-22P Zulfiquar Class missile frigate based in Karachi.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf is set to land in Dhaka on a four-day tour on Saturday.
Exactly a month ago, a US Navy warship, the USS Fitzgerald, which is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, berthed at Chittagong Port on a three-day goodwill visit.
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The development comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues, and their party leaders are seen celebrating the military success in Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. Meanwhile, Bangladesh, under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, is rapidly rebuilding its relations with Pakistan, despite its refusal to apologise for the genocide of the 1971 Liberation War.
The chief staff officer of Commander Chittagong Naval Area received the vessel on behalf of the commander. A well-decorated naval band of the Bangladesh Navy performed ceremonial tunes in keeping with naval tradition, UNB reported.
Officials from the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka and senior officers of the Bangladesh Navy were also present to welcome the visiting ship and its team.
Earlier, upon entering Bangladesh’s maritime boundary, the ship was welcomed at sea by the Bangladesh Navy ship BNS Swadhinota.
During the visit, the commanding officer of โPNS Saifโ and other members of the delegation are scheduled to pay courtesy calls on the commander of the Chittagong Naval Area, the commander of the BN Fleet, and the area superintendent of the dockyard.
Officers, sailors, and trainees from the visiting ship will also visit various historic and tourist sites, naval ships, and establishments in Chittagong. In turn, officers and sailors of the Bangladesh Navy will visit “PNS Saif.”
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