DUBAI // The captain of a Pakistani warship that is visiting Dubai has praised the relationship between his country's navy and that of the UAE.
"There is a continued cooperation between the countries in the defence field and it is getting stronger every day," Alam Afzal said aboard the frigate PNS Khaibar on Thursday night. "We are undertaking naval exercises on a regular basis to strengthen the relationship. There is a lot of interaction from both the sides and we are working together."
PNS Khaibar, which patrols the Indian Ocean on antipiracy missions, was in Dubai's Port Rashid as part of a reception organised by the Embassy of Pakistan. Ibrahim Salem Mohammed Al Musharrakh, the Commander of the UAE Naval Forces, was also present along with other dignitaries and naval officers.
The ship helped thwart a piracy attack on a Sri Lankan dhow in April, 2010.
The dhow was carrying cargo from Aden to Mogadishu and came under fire from a pirates' skiff near the Yemeni port of Aden.
On receiving the call for assistance, the PNS Khaibar manoeuvred and challenged the skiff, preventing the attack from taking place.
According to the Pakistani navy's website, PNS Khaibar derives its name from a battle in 629 during which the seemingly impregnable fortress of Khaibar was overcome by Muslim forces led by Hazrat Ali. PNS Khaibar is the third ship of the Pakistan Navy to be so named and was commissioned in 1994.
