• PNS Hangor calls at Colombo during maiden voyage home
• Pakistan plans to build 8 hulls for Hangor-class attack submarines
• The Pakistan Navy expects to have a presence in the Bay of Bengal with the induction of its latest submarine, the PNS Hangor, a senior Pakistani Navy officer said in Colombo last week.

Commodore Omer Farooq, mission commander of the flotilla which was escorting the PNS Hangor to home port, addressing a gathering of Sri Lankan officials and diplomats aboard the Pakistani frigate PNS Taimur at the Colombo Port said the induction of the new technologically advanced submarine would give Pakistan the reach to maintain a presence in the Bay of Bengal.

His comments come in the wake of growing bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh, including military-to-military engagements. It also comes at a time when multiple navies in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) are expanding their capacities, and with India strengthening its security posture in the Bay of Bengal.Farooq, the Commander of the 18th Destroyer Squadron of the Pakistan Navy, told the gathering that the Hangor was a gamechanger for the Pakistani fleet and that they had planned to acquire eight submarines in the class.

The PNS Hangor was built in China and is equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), which allows non-nuclear submarines to operate underwater for weeks without needing to surface, thereby increasing their survivability by making them difficult to detect.

Pakistani High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Maj. Gen. (Retd) Dr. Nayyar Naseer, addressing the gathering, thanked Colombo for its hospitality and the close bonds between the nations, and stated: “Pakistan takes immense pride in this close association, viewing Sri Lanka as a vibrant nation blessed with great potential, remarkable resources, and significant geostrategic location.” He added that naval diplomacy and defence cooperation were cornerstones of the enduring partnership.

Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne told the gathering aboard the PNS Taimur that Sri Lanka was grateful for the assistance and long-standing relations between the nations and thanked Pakistan for extending training opportunities to the Sri Lankan armed forces.