Islamabad (News Desk): Pakistan has offered the historic lead ship, PNS TARIQ, as a goodwill gesture to Britain. The Transfer Agreement Signing Ceremony for the former Pakistan Navy Ship TARIQ to Falls of Clyde International in the United Kingdom took place at the Pakistan High Commission in London.
The event was graced by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi as the Chief Guest, and former First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the Royal British Navy, Admiral Lord Alan West, attended as the Guest of Honour.
Ex PNS TARIQ had been decommissioned by the Pakistan Navy on August 4, 2023, and it was gifted by the Government of Pakistan to Falls of Clyde International, a UK-based firm with plans to convert the ship into a floating museum. The ship will be on static display at the Clyde Maritime Heritage Centre in Glasgow, serving as a symbol of the shared naval heritage between the Royal Navy and Pakistan Navy.
Admiral Lord Alan West expressed that the close relationship between the navies and nations of Pakistan and the UK is evident through this historic agreement, focusing on a ship that has served both countries for many years.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi acknowledged the commendable services of PNS TARIQ in the defense of Pakistan during the ceremony. He expressed hope that handing over TARIQ to Falls of Clyde International would further strengthen the bonds of friendship between the UK and Pakistan, as the ship will continue to represent the shared maritime heritage of both navies in the future.
It’s noteworthy that this historical ship served in the Royal Navy as HMS AMBUSCADE for 18 years and participated in the Falklands War before being transferred and recommissioned in the Pakistan Navy as PNS TARIQ in 1993. Over the course of more than three decades in the Pakistan Navy, the ship earned a reputation for being versatile, agile, and always ready for combat through its participation in numerous operational deployments.