Commissioning ceremony of PNS Babar, the first MILGEM class ship to be built for Pakistan held at Istanbul Shipyard on Sunday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
According to spokesperson of Pakistan Navy, Turkish Defence Minister Yashar Guler and Caretaker Defence Minister Lt. Gen. (retd) Anwar Ali Haider were the chief guests of the ceremony.
The spokesperson said that Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi also participated in the ceremony as a special guest.
“The launching ceremony of PNS Babar was held in Istanbul in August 2021”, said the spokesperson.
He said that the MILGEM class are the most advanced ships of the Pak Navy with stealth features, multi-purpose weapon systems and sophisticated sensors.
The MILGEM project, based on joint cooperation between the two countries, is an important milestone in the Pakistan-Turkey strategic partnership, he added.
He said that in 2018, Pakistan signed an agreement with Turkey to manufacture 4 MILGEM class ships.
Under the agreement of Pakistan Navy and MS Isfat Turkey, 2 ships were to be built in Istanbul Shipyard and 2 in Karachi Shipyard, he revealed.
Reporter: Ahmad Mansoor