Legislation on cards to check sea piracy: PM
KARACHI, March 12 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that legislation will soon be made to check the growing cases of sea piracy in the region. “Ministries of Defence, Law and Foreign Affairs have been asked to move summary in this regard to the cabinet for approval and later to the parliament,” he said here on Saturday on board PNS NASR while addressing the concluding ceremony of multinational naval exercises organised by Pakistan Navy.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Noman Bashir, Air Chief Rao Qamar Suleman, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Khalid Mehmood Wyne, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and foreign dignitaries including diplomats were also present.
The Prime Minister said many nations have no legislation to fight the menace of sea piracy which needs to be tackled through joint collaboration of the navies of all countries.
He said the world today recognizes the importance of Pakistan Navy and they have the confidence about the role which Pakistan could play to tackle the problem expanding its wings from Somali coast to other seas of the world.
The Prime Minister congratulated Pakistan Navy for conducting the multinational naval exercises successfully and said that the Navy was capable enough to defend the sea frontiers of the country.
He said Pakistan Navy was committed to peace in the entire region.
“By virtue of seas vastness interactive transport crimes are also growing through non-state actors which must be denied to them,” he said while referring to cases of sea piracy.
Gilani said that the sea faring nations need to collaborate and assist in protection of interests of one another and added that Pakistan was already paying  high price for war on terror and it was a peace loving nation.
“World is facing the challenge of terrorism and extremism and no country can single handedly fight it out, it needs collective response from all the stake holders,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that the navies of the world have to play a role and bring harmony. “Exercise of AMAN-11 of Pakistan Navy is a positive step in right direction,” he added.
Gilani said that despite limited resources, Pakistan would not compromise on its security issues and would use its existing resources of Army, Navy and Airforce to meet challenges.
Later, talking to the media, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan enjoys time-tested friendship with China and would like to further expand the bilateral cooperation in this regard.
To a question about Raymond Davis  case, he hoped that it would not affect the bilateral ties between the two countries and said that Pakistan has reservations about the drone attacks.
“Drone attacks have negative affect on war against terrorism,” he said. 
Gilani said there was no clash among the institutions and the government fully respects the rights and mandates of the provinces.
Later, Gilani witnessed the naval exercises conducted by Pakistan Navy and participated by 11 other countries.
The exercises were aimed at helping the navies to interact with one another about operational capabilities.
The participating countries, besides, Pakistan included: Australia, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia,Turkey, Sri Lanka, UK and USA.
The observer countries included: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nigeria, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sudan, Thailand, UAE,Thailand, UAE, Ukraine and Yemen.