KARACHI: Navies from 50 countries — including Turkey, the US, and China — have begun a five-day multinational naval exercise led by Pakistan in the Arabian Sea. The biannual event, which has taken place since 2007, began with a flag-raising ceremony, state-run Pakistan Television reported. The harbour phase involves seminars, operational discussions, professional demonstrations, international get together, and pre-sail planning of sea evolutions. The sea phase includes tactical manoeuvres, maritime security exercises such as anti-piracy and counter-terrorism, search and rescue, gunnery firings, and air defense exercises. In a related development, Pakistan’s first-ever International Maritime Expo and Conference also kicked off in Karachi on Friday.
