Pakistan naval ship Tariq visits Kuwait
Navy ship on four day goodwill visit
KUWAIT: Pakistan Navy Ship, TARIQ, arrived at Shuwaikh port yesterday on a four day goodwill visit. The ship is named after a gallant Muslim conqueror Tarqi bin Ziyad, whose conquest of Gibraltar led to the extension of Muslim rule into Europe. The life of Tariq Bin Ziyad is full of achievements, which are a source of great inspiration to Muslims all over the world; sailors of Pakistan Navy are no exception. They take great pride in serving onboard their ship that has been named after one of the greatest leaders in Islamic history.
The PNS TARIQ (D-181), the Ex-HMS AMBUSCADE is a general purpose frigate. She was the first of the Type 21 frigates built by Yarrows Ltd of Glasgow and launched on January 17, 1973. It was commissioned as Ex HMS AMBUSCADE into the Royal Navy in September 1975 and was the seventh ship in the Royal Navy to hold this name. Her career has encompassed all aspects of a warship’s life from exercises to guard ship duties and from peacetime visits to the full heat war in Falkland Islands.
This ship was commissioned as PNS TARIQ in July 1993. This is the third ship in Pakistan Navy to hold this name. The first was HMPS TARIQ, which was inherited from the Royal Indian Navy soon after independence in 1947. The second was a gearing class Destroyer, which was commissioned in September 1978, after rendering 12 years of service, the ship was decommissioned and handed over to Maritime Security Agency in 1990.
PNS TARIQ has undergone a major modification with regards to her weapons and sensors. Major modernization of the ship was carried out indigenously by replacing the obsolete Command Systems, weapon and sensors.
The Commanding Officer of PNS Tariq Captain Vaqar Muhammad TI(M) PN was commissioned in the Pakistan Navy in July 1992. He is a Communication specialist, qualified Air War Course from Air War College PAF and Master of Science in System Engineering from Naval PostGraduates School, Monterey, USA. He has been assigned on numerous operational, field and staff appointments during his 22 year of commissioned service. Prominent field assignments include Divisional Officer PNA, O I/C PN HFDF Setup and Instructor PN Communication School/Electronic Warfare Training Center. His important staff appointments include Director of Signals at Naval Headquarters, Fleet Operations Officer and LNO to CCTF-151 at Bahrain. He has also served as an Executive Officer PNS TARIQ & PNS RAHBER, Communication Officer PNS TIPPU SULTAN and First Lieutenant PNS NASR.
He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1st October 2012. He assumed the duties of Commanding Officer PNS BABUR in September 2013 and presently serving as Commanding Officer PNS TARIQ since May 2014.
During the stay in Kuwait, the captain of the ship will pay courtesy calls on dignitaries of the Kuwait Navy. A reception onboard will also be arranged which will be attended by the high civil and military officials of the State of Kuwait, diplomats, notables and representatives of the Pakistani community.
Pakistan Naval ships periodically undertake goodwill visits to the State of Kuwait which provide a good opportunity to Pakistan Navy officials to interact with their Kuwaiti counterparts. Such visits also help in further cementing the historical relations. —Pakistan Embassy of Kuwait