Pakistan Navy (PN) is the quietest of the three services, operating silently without making its presence felt. Like the other two services, it is tasked to maintain law and order and peace in its area of responsibility, with its great sea denial capabilities.
Our navy also contributes to world peace by persistent deployment of its assets in the US-led coalition Task Force 150, which is tasked mainly to prevent human trafficking and the smuggling of narcotics and weapons.
A major contribution of the navy that is often overlooked is its search and rescue operations. PN has been involved in many peacetime operations, most notably during the Tsunami tragedy that struck on December 26, 2004. Its vessels visited Sri Lanka and the Maldives to help in the rescue and relief work. Then the sailors also contributed immensely to the relief work during the 2005 earthquake and the unprecedented havoc wreaked by the 2010 floods throughout Pakistan.
Whereas the Pakistan army and air force search and rescue operations during the 2010 deluge have been well-documented, the navy’s outstanding but little known operations to bring relief to the flood victims must also be highlighted. Directly upon receiving news of the devastation, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir dispatched the navy’s search, rescue and medical teams to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Medical and relief camps were established in Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera, which bore the brunt of the floods that was a catastrophe of biblical proportions. The navy’s Operation Madad is a large-scale initiative carried out on a war footing, in which the rescue of stranded people in KP and later Sindh were helped by deploying the navy’s helicopter fleet, F-27 Fokker, hovercrafts and boats.
The navy’s personnel, in the spirit of the Ansar of Madina, went out of their way to help the marooned souls – they shifted them to relatively safe areas, supplied food, medicines, clean drinking water and items of daily use. The officers were dubbed as angels of mercy by the people of KP and Sindh because the navy’s tent cities set up for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected victims brought respite to hundreds of thousands of people.
Moreover, Operation Madad has yet not terminated and the navy is constructing model villages for the rehabilitation of flood affectees. Its engineers, artisans and workforce are constructing 500 houses in Sajawal. Approximately 40 houses have already been handed over to the affectees, while fast-paced construction is on its way. Besides this, any discussion on the operation will be incomplete without mentioninig the service provided by the Pakistan Navy Women Association (PNWA) - the welfare organisation of PN - which made sincere efforts to collect donations, sort out and distribute food, clothes and items of essential use to the flood victims.
In addition to setting up shelters, constructing houses, and installing filtration plants, our navy did not ignore the educational and recreational needs of survivors of the deluge. Two schools were set up at Benazirabad and Aliabad relief camps to provide primary level education. Course books for these schools were donated by Bahria Colleges, PN Model Schools and Bay View High School in Karachi. To promote healthy activities, sports facilities for football, volleyball, cricket and kabaddi were set up in various relief camps, while the navy organised tournaments to inculcate the spirit of competition and camaraderie among the youth.
The festive occasions of Eid were periods, when the affectees sorely missed their homes. To raise their spirit, especially the children, PNWA distributed Eidi, new clothes and gifts to the residents at the various relief camps. PN also organised special lectures to create awareness about health, hygiene and trauma issues among those scarred by the ordeal they had suffered during floods.
Thus, Pakistan navy’s efforts in coming to the aid of the flood-stricken people must be lauded and appreciated by the nation.
Our navy also contributes to world peace by persistent deployment of its assets in the US-led coalition Task Force 150, which is tasked mainly to prevent human trafficking and the smuggling of narcotics and weapons.
A major contribution of the navy that is often overlooked is its search and rescue operations. PN has been involved in many peacetime operations, most notably during the Tsunami tragedy that struck on December 26, 2004. Its vessels visited Sri Lanka and the Maldives to help in the rescue and relief work. Then the sailors also contributed immensely to the relief work during the 2005 earthquake and the unprecedented havoc wreaked by the 2010 floods throughout Pakistan.
Whereas the Pakistan army and air force search and rescue operations during the 2010 deluge have been well-documented, the navy’s outstanding but little known operations to bring relief to the flood victims must also be highlighted. Directly upon receiving news of the devastation, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Noman Bashir dispatched the navy’s search, rescue and medical teams to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Medical and relief camps were established in Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera, which bore the brunt of the floods that was a catastrophe of biblical proportions. The navy’s Operation Madad is a large-scale initiative carried out on a war footing, in which the rescue of stranded people in KP and later Sindh were helped by deploying the navy’s helicopter fleet, F-27 Fokker, hovercrafts and boats.
The navy’s personnel, in the spirit of the Ansar of Madina, went out of their way to help the marooned souls – they shifted them to relatively safe areas, supplied food, medicines, clean drinking water and items of daily use. The officers were dubbed as angels of mercy by the people of KP and Sindh because the navy’s tent cities set up for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected victims brought respite to hundreds of thousands of people.
Moreover, Operation Madad has yet not terminated and the navy is constructing model villages for the rehabilitation of flood affectees. Its engineers, artisans and workforce are constructing 500 houses in Sajawal. Approximately 40 houses have already been handed over to the affectees, while fast-paced construction is on its way. Besides this, any discussion on the operation will be incomplete without mentioninig the service provided by the Pakistan Navy Women Association (PNWA) - the welfare organisation of PN - which made sincere efforts to collect donations, sort out and distribute food, clothes and items of essential use to the flood victims.
In addition to setting up shelters, constructing houses, and installing filtration plants, our navy did not ignore the educational and recreational needs of survivors of the deluge. Two schools were set up at Benazirabad and Aliabad relief camps to provide primary level education. Course books for these schools were donated by Bahria Colleges, PN Model Schools and Bay View High School in Karachi. To promote healthy activities, sports facilities for football, volleyball, cricket and kabaddi were set up in various relief camps, while the navy organised tournaments to inculcate the spirit of competition and camaraderie among the youth.
The festive occasions of Eid were periods, when the affectees sorely missed their homes. To raise their spirit, especially the children, PNWA distributed Eidi, new clothes and gifts to the residents at the various relief camps. PN also organised special lectures to create awareness about health, hygiene and trauma issues among those scarred by the ordeal they had suffered during floods.
Thus, Pakistan navy’s efforts in coming to the aid of the flood-stricken people must be lauded and appreciated by the nation.
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