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KARACHI: Pakistan and Bahrain have agreed to boost cooperation in naval training and regional maritime security operations, the Pakistan Navy said on Tuesday.

The statement came after Bahrain’s Chief of Defense Staff Lt. Gen. Thiab Saqer Abdulla Al-Nuaimi’s meeting with Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf at the Naval Headquarters in Islamabad.

During the meeting, Admiral Ashraf underscored Pakistan Navy’s efforts to promote maritime stability through initiatives such as the regional maritime security patrols to safeguard sea routes, deter piracy, curb smuggling and protect commercial shipping.

“Both the leaders exchanged views on matters of mutual interest, focusing on regional maritime security and prospects for deepening cooperation in defense, training and joint maritime security operations,” the navy’s directorate general of public relations (DGPR) said in a statement.

“Both leaders reaffirmed commitment to strengthen and diversify the scope of existing bilateral defense relationship.”

The Bahraini general praised Pakistan Navy’s “professional capabilities and steadfast commitment” to ensure maritime security in the region, according to the statement.

“The visit will further deepen bilateral defense ties and enhance collaboration in regional security initiatives,” the DGPR added.

Pakistan and Bahrain have maintained close diplomatic, security, trade and defense ties through training, joint security initiatives and regular high-level exchanges.

On Monday, the Bahraini chief of defense staff met Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu and expressed Bahrain’s interest in learning from the experience of PAF in multi-domain operations.

The meeting followed a four-day Pakistan-India military standoff in May, during which officials said the PAF successfully conducted multi-domain operations to down six Indian fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale jets. While India has acknowledged losses in the air, it has not specified the number of aircraft lost.

“Underscoring the significance of knowledge-sharing in Multi Domain operations to augment the operational readiness of Bahrain Air Force, he (Al-Nuaimi) conveyed his earnest desire to gain deeper insight into PAF’s complete methodology of multi-domain warfare, with the aim of learning from its rich operational experience,” the PAF said in a statement.

“The visiting dignitary also expressed interest in initiating joint training programs for Bahraini pilots and engineers at all levels.”

In July, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also met his Bahraini counterpart General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa to further strengthen security collaboration between both countries in various fields.

More than 1,100 people died and thousands were injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6 struck the rugged eastern region of Afghanistan, the latest such event following an increase in seismic activity.

Here are previous similar disasters of recent years in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, which lies at the intersection of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.

2025

• A magnitude 5.6 quake hit Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on August 27.
• A magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on August 19, at a depth of 186 km (115 miles).
• A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck central Pakistan on June 29, with its epicenter at a depth of 149 km (93 miles).
• A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Pakistan on May 10, the European Mediterranean Seismological Center said.
• Quakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.8 hit the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan-Tajikistan border regions, on April 16 and 19, respectively.
• A magnitude 5 earthquake struck Pakistan on April 12, at a depth of 39 km (25 miles).
• Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi has been hit by several moderate or minor tremors in March and June.

2024

• A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on October 17.
• An earthquake of magnitude 5.75 struck Pakistan at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) on September 11.
• Earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and 5.8 struck Pakistan between March 19 and March 20.
• An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 hit northwestern Kashmir on February 19.
• A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on January 11.
• A magnitude 5 earthquake hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on January 5.

2023

• An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on November 15.
• At least four earthquakes hit Afghanistan between October 7 and 15, the two deadliest in the western province of Herat, killing about 1,000 people and destroying entire villages.
• On August 6, an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border.
• Earthquakes of magnitude 5.6 and 5.7 hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on May 3 and on August 5, respectively.
• An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit northern Afghanistan in late March, killing at least 13.
• A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hit the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on January 5.

2022

• An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit southeastern Afghanistan on December 16.
• Over September 5 and 6, at least two earthquakes struck Afghanistan, with one killing at least eight.
• A magnitude 5.6 quake struck Pakistan’s southwestern region on August 1.
• A magnitude 6 earthquake in Afghanistan killed more than 1,000 people in June.
• A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Hindu Kush region in Afghanistan on February 5.
• An earthquake of magnitude 5.6, at a depth of 30 km (19 miles), hit western Afghanistan on January 17.

2021

• At least 15 people were killed after an earthquake struck southern Pakistan on October 7.
• A magnitude 4.6 earthquake, at a depth of 17.6 km (11 miles), shook Afghanistan on May 19.