by S.M. Hali
Pakistan celebrated 27 February as “Surprise Day”. This was the day in 2019, when Indian adventurism on 26 February at Balakot was paid back in kind and a premium. Indian Air Force (IAF) had dared to launch a surgical strike to take punitive action for the terror attack at Pulwama on 14 February. Apparently in a false flag operation, forty CPRF Indian army personnel were killed and without any investigation, Pakistan was blamed for the dastardly deed. Submerged in an illusion of grandeur, Twelve IAF Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft crossed the international boundary into Balakot and targeted a seminary alleged to be the training school for terrorism. The IAF Mirages missed their target altogether despite using precision weapons of Israeli make but India claimed to have killed 350 jihadis. All they managed was to bring down a few pine trees.
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) retaliated the very next day and targeted a command center across the LOC. IAF scrambled interceptors and in the melee, an IAF MiG-21 and an SU-30 were destroyed. The pilot of the SU-30 was killed and its debris fell across the LOC while the MiG-21 wreckage fell in Pakistani territory and its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan, who had ejected safely was captured alive. Later the Indian pilot was returned by Pakistan in a gesture of goodwill.
Pakistan Navy (PN), which is a quiet force and does not believe in chest thumping and jingoism, added another “Surprise Day” to the list of surprises, shock and awe suffered by India. Apparently, India had been planning a big operation and while IAF indulged in a failed surgical strike, its army was already paused for a ground assault, one of Indian Navy (IN)’s attack submarines had been dispatched with nefarious intentions towards Pakistani waters.
Before the IN submarine could enter the territorial waters of Pakistan, on 4 March 2019, it was detected by the ever-vigilant PN P3C Orion, localized and blocked from entering Pakistan’s maritime zone. 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 was kept under watch along with monitoring of other Indian Navy units. The detected submarine was one of the latest submarines of Indian Navy.
Apparently, India had learnt no lessons from its previous misadventure on 14 November 2016. According to an official report, PN, ever alert and using its extreme professional skill, prevented the Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters. Reportedly, the unsuspecting submarine was detected, localized south of Pakistani coast and forced to flee. Apparently, the IN sub was detected when it came up to the surface to recharge its batteries which may have become exhausted. Subs are required to rise up to periscope depth to recharge their batteries.
It is no coincidence that the IN sub was caught lurking in Pakistani waters on the same date that the first cargo ships were setting sail from Gwadar, carrying a shipload, which had been brought in the shape of a convoy from Kashgar. The event marked the accomplishment of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) pilot project. The IN sub must have been dispatched to snoop on the progress of CPEC, which India has gone to great lengths to sabotage and fail even before it was operationalized. The arrest of senior RAW operative Commander KulbhoshanYadav, earlier in 2016 had spilled the beans on Indian machinations in Balochistan. The incarcerated Indian spy not only confessed to establishing a network to sabotage CPEC, but also provided graphic details of how his network managed to entrap Baloch youth, lead them to the path of insurgency through sedition, train them in subversion, arm, equip and launch them to wreak havoc in the strife torn province of Balochistan. The aim was to disrupt CPEC as well as discourage the Chinese engineers, investors and experts to quit the project and also stay away from Balochistan and Gwadar.
While we rejoice at IAF’s humiliation on 27 February, let us take a moment to offer kudos to the brave naval warriors of PN, who maintain vigilance in the air, on the surface as well as below the surface to uphold the commitment and resolve of Pakistan Navy to defend geographical frontiers of the Motherland in sync with Pakistan Army and Air Force.
