ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s new navy chief, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, took charge of the country’s naval force on Saturday after a change of command ceremony was held at the PNS Zafar in the capital city.
Pakistan Navy announced Ashraf’s appointment on Tuesday as the country’s 23rd naval chief, saying that he would be promoted to the rank of admiral on Saturday. During the televised change of command ceremony, outgoing Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi handed over the reins of the navy to his successor and wished him luck.
“As I hand over the command of the navy to Admiral Ashraf, I wish him the best of luck and a rewarding tenure in office,” Niazi said during his farewell address.
“The admiral has a distinguished career, studded with notable achievements and I am sure he would prove to be an able and worthy successor who will lead the navy to new heights, God willing.”
Niazi said Pakistan’s navy stands as a “vital arm” of the country’s armed forces, adding that it has also emerged as an effective contributor toward the socio-economic uplift of the country nationally and internationally.
Ashraf was commissioned in the Operations Branch of the Pakistan Navy in 1989. He is a graduate of the National Defense University in Islamabad, the US Naval War College, and the UK’s Royal College of Defense Studies.
According to Radio Pakistan, Ashraf has “vast experience” of working in key command and staff positions and before his appointment as navy chief, was serving as chief of staff at the Naval Headquarters.
Ashraf has been awarded prestigious Pakistani medals Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) and Tamgha-i-Basalat for his professional services and courage.
Pakistan’s new naval chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf takes charge
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Pakistan’s new naval chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf takes charge
- Admiral Naveed Ashraf takes charge of country’s naval forces during televised change of guard ceremony
- Prior to his appointment, Admiral Ashraf was serving as chief of staff at Pakistan’s Naval Headquarters
Pakistan’s deputy PM says country will not send forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas
- Ishaq Dar says Pakistan open to peacekeeping but Gaza’s internal security is Palestinian responsibility
- Pakistan’s top religious clerics from different schools have warned against sending forces to Palestine
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday Pakistan was willing to contribute to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas.
The statement follows media reports saying Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military and wants it to be part of International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for a Gaza peace plan.
The plan announced by Trump at the White House on September 29 was formally adopted at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October. Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the summit brought together leaders from 27 countries to sign the “Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity.”
Deployment of troops from Muslim-majority countries during a transitional stabilization phase is a key part of the plan before the war-ravaged Palestinian territory moves toward reconstruction and a longer-term political settlement.
“If they say that we should go and start fighting, disarm Hamas, de-weaponize them, and go and destroy the tunnels that Hamas has built until now, that is not our job,” Dar, who is also the country’s foreign minister, told reporters during a year-end briefing in Islamabad.
He emphasized there was clarity between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership over the matter.
“We have a very complete understanding on this matter that we cannot do that kind of work,” he added.
The deputy prime minister said Pakistan had been using the term “peacekeeping” and had never used the phrase “peace enforcement” while discussing the force.
“I have been very clear: Pakistan will be happy to join if the mandate is not peace enforcement and disarming and de-weaponizing Hamas.”
The government’s stance comes amid growing domestic pressure over the issue.
On Monday, a group of Pakistan’s top religious leaders, chaired by prominent scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, warned the government against yielding to what they described as international pressure to send forces to Gaza.
In a joint statement from Karachi, the clerics — representing Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-e-Hadees and Shia schools of thought — said that Washington wanted Muslim countries to send their forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas.
“Several Muslim governments have already refused this, and pressure is being increased on Pakistan,” it added.
Addressing such concerns, Dar said Pakistan would not land its forces in Palestine to “fight Muslims.”
Israel has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hamas as a precondition for any long-term settlement, and the United Nations Security Council has also endorsed the ISF framework in November.
However, Dar maintained during the media briefing the internal security of Gaza was the Palestinian responsibility.
“The Palestinian Authority, their government, it is their job, it is the job of their law enforcement agency,” he said
The deputy prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s involvement in the “Arab Islamic Group of Eight,” including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkiye and Indonesia, which has been coordinating on the crisis.
He said the efforts of these countries had brought some peace to Palestine and reduced bloodshed.
“Our declared policy is that there should be an independent two-state solution,” he continued while calling for pre-1967 borders.
