The 9th edition of Exercise AMAN was culminated on February 11, 2025, with an impressive International Fleet Review displaying unity at sea. It was a four-day mega event in which more than sixty countries, one hundred and twenty delegates and seventeen Chiefs of Navies and heads of organisations participated. For the first time it had AMAN Dialogue which was themed as “Secure Seas – Prosperous Future.” Interpreting this theme one can easily discern that the agenda of Dialogue was focussed more on Maritime Security and Blue Economy. To understand the economic benefits that Indian Ocean carries not only for its littorals but also for the landlocked countries in the region it is important to know its salient features. It has one fifth of the water bodies of the world and is the busiest trade route for international community. It has some critical chokepoints of the world namely Strait of Hormuz joining Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Bab al Mandab joining Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and Strait of Malacca connecting Andaman Sea and South China Sea. About forty percent of world’s oil passes through Strait of Hormuz and daily transportation is around 20M barrels out of which 18M barrels pass via Malacca Strait. Bab Al Mandab handles fifty percent of international trade, while 95 percent of world’s digital infrastructure joining Asia with Europe lies underneath it. There is a wealth of minerals and resources in Indian Ocean which serve the whole mankind. Understandably, there are challenges like piracy, illegal trafficking, smuggling and terrorism which are aimed at stealing these resources. The upcoming challenges such as climate change effects, use of emerging technologies and cyberspace are further compounding this situation. Indian Ocean has been a conflict zone and a place for agreements. It is thus marred with traditional and non-traditional threats. It is now time to harvest the goodwill and professional applaud that Pakistan Navy has earned for the common good of all. While the traditional threats and challenges are specifically between countries which may and may not affect others sitting on the fence, it is the non-traditional threats that affect everybody in the region and beyond which merit our due attention. Climate change has made Indian Ocean as the warmest ocean due to which its temperature and water level are rising. This phenomenon has cast some serious repercussions at different places. For instance, there has been a decrease in oxygen while increase in acidification in water mandating use of special material for ships, port and offshore infrastructure affecting economy. It also results in lack of biodiversity and fish migration, depriving people of their age-old profession of fishing and persuading them for migration. Land inundation has also been observed due to rise in water level, making people losing their valuable land pieces. These all activities are costly in terms of economy. The use of emerging technologies especially by the non-state actors is a serious concern as it can hurt the peaceful environment of the region adversely. For example, a ship sailing on navigation aids is hacked and directed to an unknown destination where either it is captured by pirates or is run aground, especially in restricted waters where international traffic can be impeded. Such is a devastating scenario not only for the countries involved in trade via this particular ship but in case of its grounding in restricted waters a larger community will be severely affected. The nontraditional challenges and threats are the ones requiring collaboration and cooperation between international community as no single country can negotiate these alone. The countries linked to Indian Ocean are therefore naturally in a quest to find and form a platform that serves the purpose of acting together. AMAN is Pakistan’s premier initiative that gathers regional and extra regional countries to form a bulwark against enemies of peace and prosperity at sea. It was initiated in year 2007 with participation of 28 countries which over the period have grown to 60. With this number, AMAN has become a global forum as countries from around the world formed part of it. During the current event, it was a galaxy of maritime professionals with friends and foes together at one place undergoing same activities. This time’s uniqueness was marked by AMAN Dialogue, a departure from the normal practice of holding conference, which was attended by 17 chiefs of navies and maritime organisations. They shared their valuable experiences, observations and foresights with rest of the participants. Hailing from different regions it was an explicit treasure of first-hand information. Focus was particularly accorded to Blue Economy and best practices in this field were discussed. It was valuable for Pakistan to learn from the experiences of people from different regions as we still lag behind in tapping this resource. The adversaries of Pakistan have been claiming to isolate it diplomatically. While such claims have been defied by Pakistan on many occasions, AMAN has been doing it every two years. The growing number of countries every time is indicative of countries’ realisation that AMAN is a prudent platform where they can share their ideas and reap tangible benefits. The growing number also endorses Pakistan’s resolve to bringing peace for prosperity. It has also been a sign of their trust on Pakistan Navy’s exceptional capability to look after them during their stay in Pakistan. The key highlights of AMAN Dialogue 2025 were spread over two main things, continuation of efforts against the existing challenges while forming a formidable strategy for the upcoming threats to benefit from the treasures that Indian Ocean retains. The learned speakers shared their own vision of the prevailing dynamics and expressed their thoughts on countering upcoming ones. There was a cultural display from many countries that included food stalls, dance performances and attires. It is important to have such cultural exchanges which help understanding the thought processes of people hailing from different parts of the world. An impressive maritime counter-terrorism display by Pakistan Navy’s special forces authenticated their capability to thwart such threats at sea. On the last day there was a joint exercise between ships, submarines, aircraft and helicopters from different countries which culminated in International Fleet Review witnessed by the dignitaries. AMAN 2025 was overall a spectacular show which not only included talks but a practical demonstration of cooperation and collaboration that Pakistan and Pakistan Navy have always pursued. It is now time to harvest the goodwill and professional applaud that Pakistan Navy has earned for the common good of all. AMAN is no doubt a prudent investment by Pakistan which must be navigated towards making it a more productive platform for peace and prosperity simultaneously. The writer is Honourary Research Fellow at National Institute of Maritime Affairs and can be reached at faisel68.fs@gmail.com.