The Indian Navy deployed aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, nuclear submarines and a number of other ships after tension escalated between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, PTI reported on Sunday.
About 60 ships of the Indian Navy, 12 ships of the Indian Coast Guard and 60 aircraft were part of TROPEX ’19 – a mega exercise – but they were moved for operational deployment soon after Jaish-Mohammed terrorists killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in a suicide attack, Navy officials said. The exercise had started on January 7 and was scheduled to end on March 10, ANI reported.
“Availability of such a large number of combat-ready assets in the theatre of operations for TROPEX exercise allowed the Indian Navy to expeditiously respond to the developing situation in synergy with the three services,” said Navy Spokesperson Captain DK Sharma. “The overwhelming superiority of Indian Navy in all three dimensions forced the Pakistan Navy to remain deployed close to the Makran coast and not venture out in the open ocean.”
The Navy said a clear message regarding its intent to “prevent, deter and defeat any misadventure by Pakistan in the maritime domain was also issued during the tri-services press conference conducted on February 28”.
On March 5, New Delhi accused Islamabad of “false propaganda” after the Pakistan Navy claimed it had detected an Indian submarine trying to enter its territorial waters. Pakistan had claimed earlier in the day that it had successfully thwarted India’s attempt.
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