Pakistan, Sept. 8 -- President Asif Ali Zardari has paid tribute to the officers, sailors and civilian personnel of the Pakistan Navy on the occasion of Pakistan Navy Day, commemorating the force's "determination, courage and professional excellence" over the decades.

In a special message issued to mark the day, President Zardari recalled the Navy's "daring" Operation Somnath, carried out against the Indian naval coastal station at Dwarka on the night of 7/8 September 1965. He described the operation as a defining moment that "laid the foundations of a formidable force" and demonstrated the bravery and tenacity that continue to define the Pakistan Navy today.

The president noted that this same spirit had been carried forward into more r...