KARACHI: Pakistan’s AMAN-25 multinational naval exercise kicked off on Friday with a flag-hoisting ceremony in Karachi, where the Pakistan Navy’s fleet commander lauded the participation of 60 nations as a testament to the world community’s desire for peace.
The Pakistan Navy has conducted the AMAN maritime exercise every two years since 2007 under the theme “Together For Peace,” involving ships, aircraft and special operations forces.
This year’s special feature is the inaugural AMAN Dialogue, themed “Secure Seas, Prosperous Future,” with a focus on security challenges in the Indian Ocean. These include strategic competition, piracy, narco-trafficking, non-state actors, resource exploitation, climate change, emerging technologies such as AI and unmanned systems, the blue economy and the need for global collaboration to ensure stability and prosperity.
“Today, we stand at a record, which is 60 countries participating in the exercise,” Rear Admiral Abdul Munib told Arab News after the inauguration. “That itself speaks to how the world community actually wants to get together for peace.”
Commander of Pakistan Fleet Rear Admiral Abdul Munib, along with naval commanding officers of participating countries, cut a cake during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25, under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)
He added that since 2007, when the multinational exercise was launched for the first time, strategic leadership was not involved in AMAN, a gap that led Pakistan’s naval chief to propose the idea of a dialogue.
“This was his vision whereby he perceived the idea of the AMAN Dialogue, whereby we invited like-minded nations, and you would see that many countries are being represented by their heads of navies, coast guards, and defense services,” he added.
Naval commanding officers of participating countries salute as Pakistan Navy’s servicemen hoist the national flags during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25, under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)
Earlier, he told a ceremony attended by naval officials from other countries that the dialogue aimed to promote a shared understanding of maritime security challenges and their linkage with the blue economy.
In a video message released by the Pakistan Navy, a Saudi official said that the Royal Saudi Navy was proud to participate in the exercises.
“The Royal Saudi Navy is proud to participate, reflecting our commitment to maritime security,” said Brig. (Staff) Bander Hamad S. Al-Hokubani, the Saudi military attaché in Islamabad. “We look forward to achieving its goals and strengthening ties with all participants.”
Pakistan Navy servicemen guard the area during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Navy’s 9th Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-25 under the slogan “Together for Peace,” in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (REUTERS)
The Saudi official added that the exercise was a key multinational effort to enhance maritime cooperation and address shared challenges.
According to the Pakistan Navy, the exercise will be conducted in two phases: a harbor phase from Feb. 7-9 and a sea phase, running from Feb. 10-11, which will include search-and-rescue operations, live weapon firings and an international fleet review.
Pakistani navy patrol during a flag hoisting ceremony of multinational naval exercise AMAN-25 in Karachi on February 7, 2025. (AFP)
Main activities during the exercise will include a maritime counterterrorism demonstration by the Special Service Group (SSG) and Pak Marines, tabletop discussions on professional topics, and ship visits.
“An International Fleet Review is scheduled for February 11, 2025, alongside sea exercises to address collaborative security threats, with special operations forces, explosive ordnance disposal teams and marine units participating in developing tactics, techniques and procedures for multinational responses to asymmetric threats,” the Pakistan Navy’s press statement added.
