KARACHI, 11 August 2006 — Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf yesterday said that strong and credible national defense is the guarantee for lasting peace in the region. He gave this statement during the induction ceremony of the Agosta 90-B submarine, Hamza into Pakistan Navy.
Pakistan Navy yesterday inducted its first locally built submarine in an effort to bolster its marine force, a spokesman said.
Pakistan has already built two Agosta submarines with help from France, but “it is the first time that we completely built it ourselves without any foreign help,” said Salman Ali, spokesman for the navy.
Musharraf was the chief guest at the launching ceremony of the Hamza submarine near the port city of Karachi on the shore of the Arabian Sea, according to a statement issued by the navy.
It said Musharraf congratulated the naval officers, engineers and technicians over the induction of the submarine into the navy’s fleet and hoped that it will help to boost the country’s defenses.
