Pakistan’s induction of its first Hangor-class submarine has raised fresh strategic questions in the Indian Ocean after a senior naval officer said the vessel would enable Islamabad to maintain a presence in the Bay of Bengal, a region where its naval footprint has been limited since the 1971 war.
Commodore Omer Farooq, commander of the flotilla escorting PNS Hangor from China to Pakistan, described the submarine as a “game changer” and said the Hangor-class fleet would expand Pakistan’s operational reach beyond the Arabian Sea, India Today reported.
Speaking during a stopover in Sri Lanka earlier this month, Farooq said Pakistan planned to induct eight submarines of the class.
The remarks come at a time of improving ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh and intensifying maritime competition in the Indian Ocean, developments that have prompted strategic observers to reassess Pakistan’s potential role in the Bay of Bengal.
The Bay of Bengal has traditionally been regarded as an area of strategic advantage for India. It hosts the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, sits close to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and carries vital shipping routes linking South and Southeast Asia.
Although international law permits foreign military vessels to operate in international waters beyond territorial seas and Exclusive Economic Zones, any sustained Pakistani presence in the Bay of Bengal would bring its naval assets into closer proximity with Indian forces.
Pakistan’s renewed eastern focus coincides with a visible thaw in relations with Bangladesh. Diplomatic exchanges have increased, bilateral trade has expanded and military contacts have deepened in recent years.
In November 2025, Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Saif made a goodwill visit to Chattogram, marking the first visit by a Pakistani warship to Bangladesh since the 1971 Liberation War. There is no indication that Bangladesh has agreed to host Pakistani military assets, but reports of broader defence cooperation have fuelled speculation about greater Pakistani naval visibility in the eastern Indian Ocean.
The Hangor-class submarines are central to Pakistan’s naval modernisation programme, its largest in decades. Built in China, the submarines are expected to be equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion technology, allowing them to remain submerged for longer periods and making them more difficult to detect than conventional diesel-electric submarines.
Pakistan plans to induct eight Hangor-class submarines, with PNS Hangor becoming the first to enter service.
The Hangor name carries considerable symbolism in Pakistan. During the 1971 India-Pakistan war, submarine PNS Hangor torpedoed INS Khukri in the Arabian Sea, killing 176 Indian sailors, including Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, who remained aboard the sinking vessel and was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
The attack, however, did not alter the outcome of the war. Pakistan suffered a decisive defeat as Indian forces secured victory and played a key role in Bangladesh’s liberation.
