LAHORE - Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi has said Pakistan is a peace loving country and wants harmonious and peaceful co-existence with all countries but the armed forces cannot be oblivious to threats to our sovereignty and national security.

He was addressing the convocation of 47th Pakistan Navy Staff Course held at Pakistan Navy War College here on Thursday.

Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi graced the ceremony as Chief Guest and conferred Masters Degrees in War Studies (Maritime) to 44 graduates from Pakistan Navy, 4 each from Pakistan Army & Air force and 28 officers from  friendly countries including Bahrain, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri-Lanka, Sudan and UAE. The Naval Chief appreciated the training standards of Pakistan Navy War College and congratulated the graduating officers.

He extended special compliments to the officers from friendly countries who added diversity and unique perspective to the course.

The Naval Chief said that Pakistan Navy would now have 28 more Ambassadors and friends, spread all across. He advised the graduating officers to work hard, adopt right attitude in life and besides attaining highest professional skills, nurture their character on morality and righteousness.

Admiral Abbasi also shed light on complex and volatile regional and extra-regional security situation. The Naval Chief underscored that Pakistan is facing an adversary; whose zealous ambitions are being propped up with a desire to adopt the role of “net security provider’ in the region.