The dawn of 6 September 1965, a full fifty years ago this day, was like any other dawn. As the sun rose over the horizon, however, it ushered in, along with the ever-brightening rays of the sun, the steeds of war. Parents, unaware of the events unfolding at the border, had packed their children off to school but had to hastily rush to retrieve them…
Gwadar Glimpses
Part 1 – 1973 to 1981 My first look at Gwadar in early 1973, needless to say, was not a pretty one. Heat, dust and despondency hung in the air. As soon as the ship’s boat hit the shallow gradient of the clay and gravel beach and as we waded onto it in knee-deep water, dragging the boat behind us, the stench of rotting fish…
Pakistan’s Strategic Environment
Pakistan’s security perspective remained exceedingly bleak during the decade following India’s first nuclear explosion in 1974. It’s policy of nuclear ambiguity from the mid- nineteen eighties onwards served it well. Though the country was finally forced to come out of the nuclear closet in May 1998, thanks largely to its neighbour’s renewed nuclear testing and post-blast rhetorics, the decision to do do, in retrospect, appears…
An Exercise in Naval Revamping
Introduction Any nation’s military potential is generally an offshoot of its economic strength. There are however many instances where such military might becomes disprortionate in the face of a real or perceived threat. Any serious imbalance between the two over a reasonably prolonged period can lead to disastrous consequences, as the breakup of the Soviet Union proves. It’s obsession for excessive military spending to counter…
Extended Continental Shelf – The Last Maritime Frontier
Pakistan’s crowning glory this year(no, it’s not international cricket coming back to the country after a prolonged hiatus) is a little acknowledged achievement: winning the UNs endorsement for extension of Pakistan’s continental shelf up to 350 miles from the coastline(or baseline, to be more precise). This is all the more creditable since Pakistan is the first and only nation amongst the Indian Ocean littoral states…
The Containerised Trade Revolution
Arguably the greatest revolution in the field of maritime transportation since the advent of sea-going steamships in 1819 took place when the first containerised shipment left Port Newark in 1956. It is said to be the brainchild of an American trucking magnate Malcolm McLean, who came up with the idea of using uniform metal containers to provide seamless continuity to land and sea transportation. The…
Demystifying Maritime Exclusion Zones
Recognising the military and economic impact of denying one’s adversaries access to free trade over the sea during hostilities, nations have over centuries resorted to what is commonly known as a naval blockade. The legal framework perfected over time( and codified in the London Declaration of 1909) specifies that only a warring country with the means to enforce a blockade can only formally declare one…
Protection of Shipping from Pakistan’s Perspective
Introduction The subject of shipping protection has a direct relevance to us as the country, being wholly dependent on seaborne trade, is constrained to ensure its protection at times. In fact, one of the Navy’s primary tasks is to ensure the safety of our sea lines of communications. A glance at our area of interest, the Indian Ocean region, shows that our three main trade…
Of Believers, Martyrs and Jannatis
Throughout the ages, Muslim scholars have in general displayed an infinite propensity for discussing subjects which are way beyond their mental and wisdom levels, things like the nature of Allah and His Prophet, the Adam and Eve saga, descriptions of heaven and hell, the number and nature of ‘houris’ as well as the vivid story of the ascendance(Meraj) of the Prophet, all of which, beyond…
The Malaise Within
The senseless attack on the Charlie Hebdo news office , its credentials notwithstanding, as well as an associated hostage drama, in which a total of 17 people were killed, galvanised the French public to the extent that over 3.7 million people, including 40 world leaders, turned up for the Unity Rally throughout France. Compare that with our lukewarm and divided response to a far graver…
