While Sri Lanka has denied China permission to dock its spy ship at Hambantota, it has permitted the Pakistani guided missile frigate PNS Taimur to call in Colombo on its way to join the Pakistan Navy in Karachi.
After negotiating with China to reschedule its visit to Hambantota port, Sri Lanka has permitted Pakistan’s Chinese-built frigate warship PNS Taimur to dock in Colombo. On August 15, the vessel will join the Pakistan Navy. According to the news agency PTI on Wednesday, Sri Lanka permitted the docking after the Bangladesh government declined permission for the warship to dock at Chattogram Port. The Pakistan warship was to anchor outside the Chattogram port from August 7 to 10 on its way from Shanghai to Karachi, according to the news agency, adding that Dhaka denied permission to PNS Taimur because August is a month of mourning for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose father, Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman, was assassinated on August 15, 1975.
According to an official, the vessel armed with laser-guided missiles is presently docked in the Colombo harbour after the Sri Lankan government granted clearance. The warship will now depart Colombo for Karachi on Thursday, August 12th. The battleship was built in China’s Dong port near Shanghai and participated in exercises in Malaysia and Cambodia before arriving in Karachi. It is scheduled to arrive in Karachi on August 15.
This is the second of four Type 054 A/P frigates built for the Pakistan Navy by China. In January, the Pakistan Navy Fleet got its first Type 054A/P frigate, the PNS Tughril. The other two are being constructed in China. According to Pakistan Navy, Taimur is a proficient and technologically sophisticated marine asset outfitted with superior combat management, electronic warfare systems, and high-tech weaponry and sensors to battle in multi-threat settings. The ships will give the Pakistan Navy a long-term increase in a combat capacity, allowing it to take on new challenges in maritime security and regional peacekeeping.
Meanwhile, the Chinese research and survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 is three days away from arriving at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port. Responding to reports that India has suggested the Chinese vessel’s week-long docking in Hambantota is a security worry, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said it is “senseless” to put pressure on Sri Lanka by raising security concerns. “Sri Lanka is a sovereign state.” It can build connections with other countries in light of its own development goals. “China urges relevant parties to view China’s scientific explorations in a fair and sensible manner and to refrain from interfering with regular exchanges between China and Sri Lanka,” Wang said. Sri Lanka’s stance shifted when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his Lankan colleague Ali Sabry in Phnom Penh and expressed India’s displeasure with the Chinese ship docking for a week in its backyard.
Colombo’s stance has shifted as a result of the dialogue between the two Ministers. Colombo had stated before Jaishankar’s chat with Sabry that the ship was simply stopping at Hambantota for refuelling. The ship, which was built in 2007, can survey the ocean floor, which is essential for anti-submarine operations. The Chinese surveillance and survey vessel has changed course and does not appear to be nearing Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port after Colombo, under pressure from India, requested Beijing to postpone its port visit. According to Maritimeoptima.com, a digital vessel monitoring tool, the Chinese tanker is approximately 600 nautical miles from Hambantota port and appears to be slowing down and changing direction.
By Harsha Josephine Antony | On Thurs 11 Aug 2022 | 10.45 pm IST |
