With Pakistan's economy being buried under a mountain of debt, the country has been forced to purchase two retired Dutch minesweepers to bolster its navy instead of brand new ones.
The Royal Netherlands Navy Tripartite Class Minehunters detects and destroys enemy naval mines, which in Islamabad's case will certainly be used with the intention of sussing out India's maritime defences.
The Tripartite Class Minehunter, also known as the "Three Partners", was co-developed by the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
These ships use imaging sonar to detect and classify targets and then send remotely operated vehicles to inspect and neutralise the threat.
Pakistan’s economy is on the brink of collapse. The country faces record inflation that’s pushing the price of daily commodities higher, WION reported.
Last week, the rupee tumbled to all-time lows, losing 15 per cent of its value against the dollar in six months.
Officials fear a surging import bill will deplete foreign currency reserves and further destabilise the economy.
Apart from that, Pakistan is currently negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout package to overcome the balance of payment crisis.
In July 2019, Pakistan and the IMF had signed a 39-month Extended Fund Facility for $6 billion but the programme remained largely off track, resulting in disbursements of only $ 2 billion in two years.
And since 2018, Pakistan has been stuck in the grey list of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), for unable to curb counter-terror financing and anti-money laundering activities.
According to Islamabad-based independent think-tank, Tabadlab, Pakistan has lost $38 billion of its GDP because of the FATF sanctions.
READ MORE: Pakistani Embassy in Serbia: We have not been paid in 3 months, our children forced out of school.