[10] Prior to her launch, the 11 of the 80 French naval personnel in Pakistan to supervise the completion of Saad were killed when their transit bus was struck by a car filled with explosives.

[10] Contemporary news accounts reported that the French Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jean-Pierre Kelche, blamed the al-Qaeda for the attack took place on 8 May 2002.

[11] On 24 August 2002, Saad was launched in Karachi's coast before being set for further trials in deep sea.

[14] Her successful depth ratings were reported by the French Navy who later marked Pakistan's entry into the small club of countries to be able to build the modernized diesel-electric submarines.

[14] On 12 December 2003, she was commissioned into the Pakistan Navy as PNS Saad, a namesake after Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas– the companion of Muhammad.