Pakistan to host multi-national naval exercises in Arabian Sea

The Pakistan Navy is set to host a series of joint exercises in the Arabian Sea off Karachi from February 7 to 11, 2025.

The AMAN-2025 exercise will also be conducted with the aim of deterring maritime piracy, crime, and terrorism in the broader Indian Ocean region. It is the latest iteration of AMAN (the Urdu translation of "peace"), which was first held in 2007 and has been conducted biennially ever since.

The last AMAN exercise in 2023 included participants from over 50 countries with naval vessels from China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Italy, and the United States also participating. Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff, said he expects even greater participation this year.

One of this year's overseas participants will be Saudi Arabia.

Concurrent with the naval exercises, the AMAN Dialogue will be held as a venue for discussions between naval representatives, particularly with respect to piracy, terrorism, regional conflicts, and the changing maritime security landscape driven by factors such as unmanned systems and AI.