Pakistan plans navy drills in zone that overlaps Indian exercises
The overlap exists because Pakistan’s maritime territory is contiguous to that controlled by India.
Pakistan issued a naval navigational warning on Saturday for firing exercises in the northern Arabian Sea starting Sunday, with the drills set to take place in a zone that overlaps with India’s ongoing major tri-services military exercise in the country’s western sector.
The overlap exists because Pakistan’s maritime territory is contiguous to that controlled by India, but experts believe coordination between the two sides will prevent any incidents during the simultaneous exercises.
The Hydrographer of Pakistan issued NAVAREA IX 514/25 on Saturday for drills during November 2-5 in the northern Arabian Sea, two days after India kicked off a two-week-long tri-services exercise in the country’s western sector and the same maritime expanse.
The Pakistani drills will involve warships conducting live surface and sub-surface firing in an area bounded by specific coordinates covering approximately 6,000 square kilometres. “Mariners keep well clear off exercise area,” the alert said.
The Indian exercise, which the army calls Trishul, is being conducted in Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Arabian Sea and involves tens of thousands of soldiers, fighter jets, warships, submarines, tanks, artillery guns and other weapons and systems. It is the first major military exercise since the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan in May under Operation Sindoor.
“Pakistan now issues a naval navigational warning for a firing exercise in the same area India has an airspace reservation for its ongoing tri-services military drills,” geo-intelligence researcher Damien Symon wrote on X on Saturday. While the areas geographically overlap, coordination between both sides would likely ensure things remain professional without any incident, he added.
It is not uncommon for the two militaries to conduct drills simultaneously.
The exercises come almost six months after the May 7-10 military clash under Operation Sindoor, which marked New Delhi’s direct military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. India launched the operation in the early hours of May 7 and struck terror and military installations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Director general naval operations Vice Admiral AN Pramod said on Friday that the main aim of the tri-services exercise is to enhance synergy among all the maritime forces as well as the three services. Around 20-25 warships and 40 aircraft are taking part in the exercise, which involves the Western Naval Command, South Western Air Command and the army’s Western Command.
“Amphibious operations will also be conducted using INS Jalashwa and other platforms. It is being held in a very large, complex environment and we are also conducting integrated multi-domain operations, including the cyber and space domains,” he said.
The exercise area also covers the Sir Creek sector separating Gujarat from Pakistan’s Sindh province. The 96-km disputed maritime strip has been a flashpoint between the two countries, which last held talks on the issue more than 13 years ago.
On October 2, defence minister Rajnath Singh warned Islamabad of an overwhelming response if it attempted any mischief in Sir Creek sector, the comments coming against the backdrop of the neighbour shoring up military infrastructure near the disputed area. The response, he said, will be strong enough to alter the history and geography of the area.
Last week, Singh also said that Pakistan is still recovering from the blow dealt by India during the four-day military clash.
