ISLAMABAD: Demonstrating its readiness to safeguard maritime frontiers “against all threats”, the Pakistan Navy on Friday successfully tested a live surface-to-surface anti-ship missile along the North Arabian Sea.
“The exercise was conducted to validate war fighting concepts under a hybrid threat environment involving the support of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the army,” a statement released by the navy’s media wing read on Friday.
As part of a major maritime exercise, ‘Seaspark-18’, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee, General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, witnessed the test onboard the “PNS Moawin” — a newly-commissioned logistics support ship for combat purposes.
Chief of Air Staff, Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan and senior officers from the three services were also part of the audience. He appreciated the joint operations, especially the enhanced coordination between the Pakistan Navy and the PAF in the maritime activities.
“The anti-ship missiles were successfully fired by Pakistan Navy’s ships, Shamsheer and Shahjahan. The live firings at sea remained highly successful as both missiles hit their targets affirming PN war fighting capability,” the statement added.
Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, said that the navy was ready to defeat any misadventure and aggression against Pakistan. “Pakistan Navy fleet is a four dimensional force which is combat ready and prepared to tackle Grey Hybrid Warfare threat,” the Naval Chief said.
The statement said that the test was an expression of the navy’s resolve to shoulder the sacred responsibility of defending Pakistan, with General Hayat adding that the Pakistan Navy has transformed into “a strong and formidable force in protecting national maritime interests in the region and beyond”.”
The maritime exercise — which is conducted biennially in order to assess war preparedness and validate operational plans of the Pakistan Navy — commenced on October 15, taking cognizance of the emerging regional and global challenges.
All operational units of the navy, including ships, submarines, aircraft, UAVs, along with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, the army and the PAF participated in the exercise, the statement said.
Pakistan Navy tests anti-ship missiles in Arabian Sea
Pakistan Navy tests anti-ship missiles in Arabian Sea
- Exercise sought to validate country’s war-fighting abilities
- Move to address challenges posed by emerging regional and global threats
Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says
- Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency
- The Balochistan government has recently established a threat assessment center to strengthen early warning, prevent ‘terrorism’ incidents
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces gunned down four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat district on reports about the presence of militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
The “Indian-sponsored militants” were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency involving Baloch separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
Pakistan accuses India of supporting these separatist militant groups and describes them as “Fitna Al-Hindustan.” New Delhi denies the allegation.
The government in Balochistan has also established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said this week.
“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur,” Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X.
The development follows a steep rise in militancy-related deaths in Pakistan in 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.
These included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the think tank said.
