Pakistan navy to add advanced Chinese submarines

Islamabad: Pakistan's Navy will be getting a fleet of advanced Chinese submarines, a statement from the military and a government official said on Thursday, a move to strengthen Islamabad's maritime security as part of a growing defence cooperation with Beijing.

The subs are in addition to Chinese-made ‌J10-C fighter ⁠jets, ⁠which were war-tested for the first time during last year's Pakistan-India conflict.

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Pakistan and ​China are longtime allies and their defence cooperation has been enhanced since the ​conflict erupted.

Islamabad says the Chinese-made planes were part of its air assault that downed India's French-made Rafale fighter jets last summer.

A ceremony ​to commission the first of the submarines, ⁠which will ‌be called Hangor, was held in Sanya, China, ​with Pakistani ​President Asif Ali Zardari and naval chief Admiral ⁠Naveed Ashraf in attendance, the military statement said.

It ​didn't mention the number of submarines involved or any ​further details.

A Pakistani government official said the fleet would consist of eight submarines; four would be made in China and delivered to Islamabad, while another four will be made in Pakistan under a transfer-of-technology program.

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"We will also be in a position to ‌offer their exports under our defence production in future," he said.

Ashraf called it "an important milestone to bolster our ​maritime defence ​and modernize our ⁠fleet with cutting-edge technology."

Hangor class submarines - armed with state-of-the-art weapons, advanced sensors and air-independent propulsion - will be a key to preserving maritime order and stability in the region and play a role in deterring aggression, Ashraf said.

The news on the submarines came after Pakistan tested a number of missiles in recent weeks.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947.