Pakistan, March 10 -- The Pakistan Navy has launched Operation Muhafiz-ul-Bahr to protect national shipping and maritime trade routes amid rising regional security concerns, the military's media wing said on Monday.

According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation aims to ensure the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies and secure critical Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) used for Pakistan's maritime trade.

The move comes as tensions in the Middle East intensify following conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, raising fears of disruptions to shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz - a key global energy corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil shipments pass.

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