PM, Turkish vice president to launch Naval Corvette PNS Tariq today

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the vice president of Turkiye, Cevdet Yilmaz, who arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday, will jointly launch the fourth MILGEM Class Corvette – PNS Tariq – at the Karachi shipyard today (August 2).

In a press statement, the Pakistan Foreign Office said the MILGEM project was initiated in 2018 and it envisaged the construction of four Corvettes for the Pakistan Navy – two in Pakistan and as many in Turkiye.

The prime minister had in November 2022 visited Istanbul where he attended the launch ceremony of the third Naval Corvette, PNS Khyber.

The first two Corvettes – PNS Babur and PNS Badar – were launched in Istanbul and Karachi in August 2021 and May 2022 respectively.

The Foreign Office said the MILGEM project was an enduring symbol of Pakistan-Turkiye collaboration in the maritime domain and would fulfil critical security needs of the Pakistan Navy.

The statement read that Pakistan and Turkiye enjoyed deep-rooted ties characterised by cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, and both the countries had common views on regional and global issues.