The two-day Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) working group commenced its meetings in Islamabad on Tuesday under the auspices of the Pakistan Navy, according a press release.The theme of the ongoing working group is “Information Sharing and Inter-operability”.

IONS is a multinational forum established in 2008. Pakistan became a member of the forum in March 2014.

Currently chaired by the Pakistan Navy, the IONS working group consists of 10 member nations, including Australia, Bangladesh, France, India, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE.

This is the second time Pakistan is hosting IONS activities in Pakistan. In 2015, Pakistan Navy had hosted a similar IONS working group on information sharing and inter-operability along with an IONS preparatory workshop in Karachi.

Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Mohammad Fayyaz Gilani highlighted the importance of Indian Ocean region for the global maritime community. Being an energy-rich region, the area faces security, human and environmental challenges, he observed.

Underscoring maritime threats, he said that maritime security challenges in the region emanate primarily from contemporary issues like maritime terrorism, piracy, and narcotics, arms and human smuggling.

"Collaborative maritime security has become the scarlet thread to ensure peace and stability in the region," he added.

Rear Admiral Gilani said that the Pakistan Navy was fully cognizant of the challenges being faced in the maritime domain. "The navy keeps a firm belief in the concept of collaborative maritime security and so has been actively participating in maritime security and counter-piracy operations in the region along with other partner nations," he said.

He also mentioned that the IONS has tremendous potential in contributing towards peace and stability in the region. "In today’s era of globalisation, the importance of information sharing needs no emphasis. Therefore, the group has a vital role in connecting all members and observers," he added.

Later, in the keynote address, retired Rear Admiral Pervaiz Asghar underlined the importance of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in improving regional connectivity and its likely impact on increasing maritime trade in the region. He also highlighted the importance of a collaborative and cooperative approach to security for mutual benefit.