It was quite mesmerizing to see the AMAN exercise held in Karachi from February 7 to 11, 2025 with participation of about sixty countries and more than one hundred and twenty delegates from around the world. The uniqueness this time was the presence of seventeen naval chiefs and heads of other organizations who were part of the AMAN Dialogue, a flagship event of AMAN exercise. The energy radiated and the congenial environment created was worth watching throughout the exercise which was the epitome of traditional Pakistani hospitality and the professionalism of its armed forces. AMAN was a success which can be gauged from various aspects; it was more than a military exercise which sought tangible benefits for Pakistan in political, diplomatic, intellectual, cultural and military domains.
More than anything it was a huge resource of experience sharing which needs to be treasured much. Naval diplomacy is one of the core jobs of all navies which contributes to the overall diplomatic efforts of a country. It has been observed that even during the times when normal diplomatic relations between the two countries are strained, naval diplomacy continues and has been helpful in maintaining the goodwill.
The list of countries that participated in AMAN was diversely impressive and the attendance by representatives from the US, China, Iran, Japan and Russia was of particular significance. These countries are seen on the international chessboard as rivalling each other and the sharing of common platform by them and expressing respective observations, experiences and strategies was a significant milestone achieved in AMAN. This signified Pakistan’s capability and capacity to interact with each one of them capitalizing on its good relations, thus an emblem of its adroit naval diplomatic skills and foreign policy’s effectiveness.
The gathering of such diverse countries also boosted Pakistan’s image as a responsible state which can serve better in political matters among the comity of nations. Pakistan has shown the leverage that it enjoys among countries around the world which can be used for addressing challenges in international politics. Pakistan must make use of this higher standing achieved during AMAN and capitalize upon the goodwill generated with concerted efforts. This time AMAN exercise also included AMAN Dialogue which was the first of its kind replacing the AMAN Conference which used to be a regular feature of AMAN exercise.
The purpose of AMAN Dialogue with the theme, ‘Securing Seas – Prosperous Future’ was explicitly to listen to the chiefs of navies and heads of organizations along with the analysts and scholars expressing their views about challenges at sea and recommending remedies to foster prosperity. It was a very accomplished experience as problems stated by the senior leaders from different parts of the world embedded in their enriched exposure was truly embellishing.
Several recommendations were brought forth to counter the existing and upcoming challenges at sea. It was unanimously agreed that working together for peaceful environment and reaping prosperous benefits for all stood but as a necessity. The continent of Africa was accorded special emphasis during the dialogue and an eminent panel of speakers from Nigeria, Djibouti and Kenya presented their perspectives of maritime security with measures to overcome the challenges. It was aligned with Pakistan’s already much attention to the continent in the shape of regular contribution of our troops to the UN Peace Keeping missions and frequent visits of Pakistan Navy’s ships to African countries where they not only interact with the higher ups but also with the local community in the form of medical camps and other humanitarian assistance.
AMAN Gala was one of the entertainment activities that featured local cuisines, dresses, songs and traditional dances of many countries. It was an exquisite show of fraternity which was enjoyed by all the participants. Pakistani culture was also exhibited with food stalls and dances from all provinces and Kashmir; much appreciated by the visitors. While such programmes may look extravagant to be part of a military exercise but there is a necessity for which these have been organized.
Culture plays a crucial part in personality development and thought processing of a community attached with it and it helps understanding others in a better way. When countries have to work together, understanding of culture brings much ease to it. It also displays the soft image of a country and the colourful lives of its inhabitants, reflective of their desire to seek peace, tranquility and togetherness. On the military front, AMAN has always been a very useful undertaking. To negotiate challenges that prevail at sea, navies have to operate together. It is not easy and requires practice as well as joint working.
The interoperability among various naval forces can only be achieved through discussions, planning and execution. Besides field exercises between special operations forces of Pakistan Navy and other countries an impressive maritime counter-terrorism display by the Pakistan Navy was held which was reflective of professional prowess, clear understanding of the situation and sheer conviction to the cause.
The seamless demonstration was also indicative of Pakistan’s resolve and capability to tackle challenges at sea. On the last day of AMAN, all participating platforms i.e. ships, submarines, aircraft and helicopters carried out exercises at sea and also participated in International Fleet Review (IFR) which was witnessed by the dignitaries. It was a cohesive display of execution of what all was desired during AMAN Dialogue.
The IFR reaffirmed participating nations’ resolve to counter challenges at sea together. It was a sheer exhibit of jointness, collaboration and cooperation among nations from various parts of the world. When navies operate together, they develop Tactics, Techniques and Procedures for joint working and all this was vivid during the drills at sea.
As part of Pakistan’s collaborative maritime strategy, Exercise AMAN highlighted two aspects very vividly. The sounds of collaboration, cooperation and jointness were strident during the entire AMAN enterprise. One wonders if the world is convinced that the challenges at sea can only be tackled via joining hands then whither the concept of “Net Security Provider” that India is harping on. AMAN blatantly annulled this concept and the world must reckon with it. The other outcome was nullifying the claim frequently made by India for isolating Pakistan diplomatically.
While Pakistan has been invalidating this claim quite often, AMAN did it consistently after every two years but this year especially with the participation of sixty countries AMAN became a global phenomenon affording Pakistan a clear diplomatic ascendancy.
