Pakistan Navy launched PNS Sahiwal, an indigenously developed gunboat, on July 24, 2025, Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS & EW). The command of the launching ceremony was headed by the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami and which was witnessed by the top officials in the Ministry of Defence Production, KS&EW and defense industry.
PNS Sahiwal, designed by Platform Design Wing (PDW) of the Pakistan Navy, underlies the indigenization program which is conceived to lessen the overreliance on foreign vendors. The ship is still under construction being one of the bigger plans to contemporary modernization of the Pakistani Navy.
PNS Sahiwal is equipped with long-range semi-automatic guns designed for maritime operations including coastal defense, maritime patrol, and support for naval missions. The gunboat is built for multi-role functions such as surveillance, anti-smuggling, and protection of Pakistan’s territorial waters.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Admiral Bilgrami said that the Navy is looking into the possibilities of series production of such vessels in a bid to strengthen the capability of the fleet and boost local industry, defense-wise. The induction coincides with other modernization efforts in the Pakistan Navy with the induction of PNS Babur and PNS Hunain in 2024, which is part of the overall modernization of the Pakistani Navy.
Some specifics technical details are not disclosed, but PNS Sahiwal is presented as an important resource in terms of regional maritime security and operation near the coast. The ship augments other bigger ones in the fleet and contributes to the coast defense strategy in Pakistan.
. The command of the launching ceremony was headed by the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami and which was witnessed by the top officials in the Ministry of Defence Production, KS&EW and defense industry.){kind=link}