MARITIME SECURITY: A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH

By,ALI BASIT

The maritime security in a simplistic term means: our seas remain free from those activities which could threaten its use for economic, military and scientific purposes. Challenges to “Maritime Security” have manifolds including piracy, armed robbery, maritime terrorism, illicit trafficking by sea i.e. narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, human trafficking, cargo theft and acts causing marine pollution etc. These challenges keep evolving and may be hybrid in nature an interconnected and unpredictable mix of traditional and irregular warfare, terrorism, and/or organized crime. To many observers “Maritime Security” appears to be a large and sometimes nebulous concept. In fact, it has become a large task involving many entities from international, public and private sectors aiming at preserving the freedom of the seas, facilitating and defending commerce, and maintaining good governance at sea.
It is important to understand that why maritime security matters for us? Answer to this would reveal the concerns that we should know. Pakistan’s 95% of trade is dependent upon sea. Now imagine an unfortunate scenario, when this sea-borne trade path is blocked, or for some reasons, cannot be used. Consequently, our economy would come to a grinding halt as goods’ transportation to and from other countries via land and air routes is not just expensive but extremely inconvenient, which involves highly complex diplomatic, political and military aspects. Apart from this, 90% of world trade by volume, and 80% by value is carried in seaborne commerce: and this trend appears to be steadily increasing with every year. This inseparable human dependence on sea would continue to grow and would necessitate measures to safeguard it from non-traditional threats.
There is no question that strategic, economic and political interests of many nations intersect at sea; therefore, maritime security should be regarded as a shared concern as far as the non-traditional threats are viewed as a common adversary. In pursuance of this principle, Pakistan Navy remains at the forefront of regional and global collaborative efforts of creating a secured maritime environment, where economic, scientific and commercial activities may go on unhindered and uninterrupted. Notwithstanding the dynamic role of Pakistan Navy at home, it always stands by the international obligation to ensure maritime security while being a part of Multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CFT 150), Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan (CMCP) or Counter Piracy Deployment (CPD). Realizing the non-traditional threats at sea, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) under the ambit of Pakistan Navy, pursuing the effective patrolling mechanism to mitigate the risks of illicit activities in the North Arabian Sea. Despite limited resources, PMSA is constantly endeavoring to be operationally prepared and perform/ discharge its assigned task and obligations with utmost dedication, professionalism in line with our national customs and traditions.