Days after two Indian warplanes were shot down by the Pakistan Air Forces, the Pakistan Navy on detected an Indian submarine on Monday night trying to enter Pakistani waters and successfully thwarted the attempt, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Navy said.
“The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters,” a statement from the spokesperson said.
“The submarine was detected and localised in Pakistan’s maritime zone on March 4,” said a statement by the director general of Pakistan Navy’s public relations. “The submarine could have been easily engaged and destroyed had it not been Pakistan’s policy to exercise restraint in the face of Indian aggression and to give peace a chance to prevail.
“However, the submarine is being kept under watch along with monitoring of other Indian navy units. The detected submarine is one of the latest submarines of Indian navy,” added the statement.
Learning from this incident, India should also work towards peace, the statement added.
“This great feat is a testament of the Pakistan Navy’s superior skills. The Navy will keep defending Pakistan’s naval border. The force has the capability to respond to any aggression.”
This is the second time since 2016 that the Pakistan Navy has detected an Indian submarine trying to enter Pakistani waters. Pakistan territorial waters is 12 nautical miles while its seabed territory – the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) – grew to 290,000 square kilometres in 2015.
The latest provocation by India comes a week after the Indian Air Force (IAF) violated Pakistani airspace on February 26 following the Pulwama attack in Indian occupied Kashmir. The IAF returned unsuccessful after the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) “immediately scrambled” its jets. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Indian aircraft released their payload “in haste” as they returned.
The PAF the next day, on Feb 27, targeted non-military targets across the Line of Control to demonstrate Pakistan’s capabilities, and shot down two Indian Air Force jets after they crossed the LoC. An Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan, was taken into captivity of Pakistan’s armed forces. He was freed the next day and handed over to Indian authorities at Wagah border. Prime Minister Imran Khan had termed his release as a “peace gesture” – a move lauded by people on both sides of the border as well as the international community that had urged restraint.
Published in Daily Times, March 6th 2019.
