India, Pak Naval Action In Arabian Sea: Islamabad’s Simultaneous Drill Follows Rs 1240 Crore Loss In Air

After a tense standoff followed by the deadly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, the Indian Navy and Pakistan Navy are in action at the sea. Both the naval forces are conducting separate drills in the Arabian Sea for 2 days, starting Monday (August 11), and have issued NOTAMs in this regard.

It goes without saying how significant is the timing of the simultaneous naval drills by both the navies. The overlapping schedules indicate a heightened military activity in the strategically significant Arabian Sea, which is an important maritime trade route and crucial to regional security.

Both Indian Navy and Pakistan Navy have issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) for carrying out the drills in their respective territories, news agency ANI reported. “Indian Navy warships would be carrying out drills in the Arabian Sea on August 11-12. Pakistan Navy has also issued a NOTAM for carrying out its own naval exercises in its waters,” the report said.

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The simultaneous naval drills by India and Pakistan comes around 2 months after they engaged in a serious military standoff, as India retaliated with Operation Sindoor on May 7. Since then, Indian and Pakistani militaries have confronted each other for around 3-4 days, until a ceasefire was announced.

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Both the countries had agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, and the Indian Navy was told to stand down from launching a BrahMos missile attack on Karachi port. After this, Prime Minister Modi told Admiral Tripathi, “Humne aapke mooh se niwala cheen liya, aapko mauka phir milega” (“I have snatched the morsel out of your mouth, but your turn will come”).

Interestingly, the naval drills also come after Islamabad suffered a Rs 1240 crore loss in a period of just two months, following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan’s national daily Dawn has reported that the country incurred financial losses after closing its airspace to Indian-registered aircraft, with the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA).

Pakistan lost over Rs 1240 crore in just over two months (between April 24 and June 30), the Ministry of Defence informed the National Assembly on Friday. The airspace ban was imposed after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty on April 23.

Pakistan’s airspace ban for Indian aircraft is still in place and has been further extended until the last week of August. Likewise, India has also barred Pakistani airlines from entering its airspace.