Aman-2021 to help tackle maritime security threats

Hosting of the multinational maritime exercise ‘Aman2021’ reflects Pakistan’s intentions for building collaborative maritime security mechanisms to counter all sorts of non-traditional security threats in the Indian Ocean region, including, but not limited to, growing sea piracy, environmental, cyber and satellite communication sabotage, and maritime policing issues such as illegal fishing, smuggling, drugs and human trafficking. 

This was stressed by maritime experts and security analysts at a webinar titled ‘Security Cooperation in the Western Indian Ocean Region and Significance of AMAN 2021’, which was hosted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).

Vice Admiral (r) Iftikhar Ahmed Rao said Pakistan’s peace initiative in the IOR in the form of Aman exercises had created a conducive environment for regional and extra-regional players.

He warned that India, with its hegemonic designs in the Indian Ocean, was trying to pose itself as a maritime regional power and was interested in holding sway over the choke points in the IOR. “However, this is not possible owing to the magnitude of China’s military and economic prowess,” he added.

Commenting on the participation of Russian navy ships in the Aman exercise for the first time, he said this held immense political significance. “It augurs well for bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia.” A recently published book, Blue Economy, which has been authored by Rao was also screened on the occasion.