The Indian Navy today watched closely its Pakistani counterpart beefing up its warship arsenal by ordering four frigates from Greece, and augmenting an existing agreement it has with China to build four F-22P frigates in Karachi starting next year.Picture this: The Pakistani Navy has seven frigates, as compared to the 13 operated by India. By 2007-end, Pakistan will have 11 frigates to India’s 14. By 2012, the number in both navies could well be the same.From the maritime defence point of view, Islamabad’s move to build up its frigate strength is significant. While India has long held that its possession of an aircraft carrier gave it a sizeable operational edge over other navies of the region, including Pakistan’s, both navies are now looking at frigates as compact and power-packed platforms capable of the full spectrum of offensive profiles.Frigates, usually 3,000-4,000 ton warships, are wedged in every sense between missile corvettes at the lower end and the much more heavily armed and longer range destroyers at the upper end, with specialisation in anti-submarine warfare, though newer variants have multiple roles.The Indian Navy is also keeping tabs on the ongoing visit of Pakistani Navy Chief, Admiral Mohammad Afzal Tahir, to China to push ahead talks on co-production of F-22P frigates in Pakistan. The navy has long been expressing concern over Beijing’s extremely rapid manufacture and procurement of warships.‘‘There is no cause for undue worry, but this is an area in which the Pakistan Navy lacks indigenous capability, and the fact that they are now expediting a solution is of importance to us. We know that they plan to acquire indigenous technology to build frigates, and it is a focus area for them,’’ a senior naval officer said. The seven now in the Pakistani fleet are Ex-Royal Navy frigates.The Indian Navy’s 13 include three indigenous Godavari-class, three Russian-built Talwar-class, three indigenous Brahmaputra-class and four British Leander-class frigates, the latter almost nearing the end of their operational life. Three Shivalik-class stealth frigates are currently being built at the Western shipyards and three more Talwar-class ships are on order from Russia.In fact, as a show of its frigate strength and indigenous weapons platforms that will be part of the upcoming Shivalik-class, the Indian Navy is sending its newest frigate INS Tabar, commissioned in 2004, to Australia next month.
