KARACHI: A delegation of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) on Wednesday met with Pakistan’s Commodore Asim Sohail Malik, who is currently commanding the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) in Bahrain, to explore potential avenues for collaboration and discuss the region’s maritime security.
CTF 150 is part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multinational naval partnership aimed at ensuring the security in critical regions like the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
CTF 150’s mission is to counter illicit activities at sea, including smuggling, trafficking of narcotics and other non-state actor threats, to promote stability and security in these vital international waters.
Pakistan assumed command of this task in July for the 13th time, with the country’s naval officials pointing out its frequent leadership of CTF 150 highlighted the trust placed in it by other coalition partners.
“During the meeting, both [sides] shared their perspectives on regional maritime security challenges and explored potential avenues for collaboration between CTF 150 and the upcoming RSNF Maritime Component Command to maintain security and stability in the region,” an official statement circulated by the naval headquarters in Islamabad said.
“Discussions focused on CTF 150’s ongoing operations aimed at disrupting illicit activities in the Arabian Sea and ensuring maritime security in the region,” it added.
The statement said Pakistani official and Saudi Arabia’s Commodore Othman Oqab Al Zahrani also reaffirmed the excellent relationship between the naval forces of their countries, emphasizing the necessity of working together to ensure greater maritime security.
The RSNF delegation also engaged with the entire Pakistan Navy team currently leading CTF 150 and exchanged views on viable options to counter contemporary maritime security challenges.
Commodore Malik assured the Saudi delegation that his team would continue to strengthen the efforts of the multinational task force to ensure robust security in the maritime domain of its responsibility. He also assured the visiting delegation Pakistan Navy’s commitment to working with other coalition navies.
