Two Pakistan Navy ships, the Moawin and Aslat, visited Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania as part of the Pakistani military’s overseas deployments to the African region.
In addition to bilateral discussions among naval commanders in the various ports of call in late 2019 and early 2020, Pakistani naval doctors and paramedics established medical camps in most of the countries to treat 10,000 African patients.
These goodwill gestures also included transporting more serious medical cases to sick bays on the Moawin. In the Seychelles, Pakistani naval officers visited an orphanage run by the Roman Catholic Church. Among the warmest welcomes occurred in Tanzania, an East African nation with a large Pakistani immigrant community.
Pakistan’s military commanders view the naval visits as a way to perform humanitarian missions beyond the nation’s borders, build friendlier ties with African nations and enhance naval cooperation.
The Aslat has also participated prominently in multinational naval task forces designed to eliminate smuggling, piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean. Pakistan has commanded Combined Task Force 150 in partnership with the U.S. Navy at least 11 times.
Sources: Hilal, Pakistan Observer
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