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ISLAMABAD: Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi has taken over the command of Pakistan Navy in his place.
The change of command ceremony was held at the Islamabad Naval Headquarters where outgoing Naval Chief Zafar Mahmood Abbasi handed over the command scroll to the new chief.
In his farewell address, Zafar Mahmood Abbasi congratulated Amjad Niazi on becoming the Chief of Naval Staff. He said Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi has a distinguished career and expressed the confidence he will lead Pakistan Navy to new heights.
Zafar Mahmood Abbasi said during his tenure as the Naval Chief, his special emphasis remained on combat readiness and professional competence.
Giving a complete overview of the development strategies of Pakistan Navy, the outgoing Naval Chief said these are aligned with the evolving threats and challenges.
Abbasi said a fleet size of fifty-plus ships including twenty major ships was envisioned to improve the capabilities of the naval force.
He said four Chinese Frigates will be inducted in the next few years while four Turkish medium class ships will be inducted between 2023 and 2025.
The outgoing Naval Chief said the Hangor submarine project in collaboration with China is progressing well with four submarines being built in China and four in Pakistan which will be delivered in the next few years.
He said this project will transform us from a submarine operating Navy to a submarine building Navy. Abbasi said a major naval base for surface ships is being developed at Gwadar to enhance Pakistan Navy’s operational flexibility along our coast.
Read more: Pakistan Navy to protect maritime interests: Naval Chief
Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi is the 22nd Chief of the Pakistan Navy. He was commissioned in 1985 in the Operations Branch of the Pakistan Navy.
He received an honourary sword from the Pakistan Naval Academy on commissioning and has extensive experience working in various command and staff positions. During his career, Amjad Khan Niazi has served on various Command and Staff appointments.
The new Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Navy has served in the Pakistan Navy War College Lahore and is currently serving as the Chief of Staff (Operations). He is a graduate of Army Command and Staff College Quetta, National Defense University Islamabad, and Beijing University China.
His distinguished staff appointments include Principal Secretary to Chief of the Naval Staff, Head of F-22P Mission China, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Training & Evaluation) and Director General Naval Intelligence. Presently, he is serving as Commander Pakistan Fleet.
The Admiral holds a Masters Degree in Underwater Acoustics from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China.
Vice Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi is a recipient of Hilal e Imtiaz (Military) and Sitara-e-Basalat. He has also been conferred with the French Medal Chevalier (Knight) by the Government of France.
