In 2014, a group of radicalised Pakistan Navy personnel reportedly plotted to seize the PNS Zulfiquar, take control of its weapons and use the frigate to attack US Navy vessels in the Arabian Sea. The episode resurfaced amid renewed attention on incidents involving Pakistan and Indian naval ships.
The plan was reportedly led by naval officers Zeeshan Rafiq and Owais Jakhrani, who were described as Al-Qaeda members. According to accounts of the plot, they intended to overpower the crew, gain control of the ship and attack the USNS Supply, a US Navy support vessel operating with an escort in the region.
The conspirators allegedly smuggled weapons aboard the frigate, obtained duplicate keys for restricted areas and studied ways to operate some of the ship’s weapons systems without access to the main operations room.
The PNS Zulfiquar was a Chinese-built Type F-22P frigate and was associated with Pakistan’s Naval Strategic Forces Command. Accounts have also raised questions about whether the vessel carried a nuclear warhead at the time. However, the claim originated from an intelligence report cited in later accounts and its authenticity was not established.
On September 6, 2014, the plot was disrupted at Karachi harbour after a sentry spotted a group approaching the vessel. A gunfight followed, killing Rafiq, Jakhrani and another attacker before the planned assault could be carried out.
Five surviving naval officers linked to the conspiracy were sentenced to death by a military tribunal in 2016 following a secret trial. Their death sentences were reportedly stayed in 2024. The incident remains a significant example of concerns surrounding insider threats and extremist infiltration within military institutions.
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