Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been celebrating Diwali with the nation’s brave soldiers every year. This time, he may celebrate Diwali with the Navy’s warriors. According to sources, Prime Minister Modi may travel to Goa on Monday, where he will celebrate the country’s biggest cultural festival with Navy personnel deployed on INS Vikrant. If this happens, this visit could send a massive message to Pakistan that there is still time; it should mend its ways; otherwise, next time it will be the Navy that will alter its geography.
It should be noted that the Indian Navy did not take direct part in ‘Operation Sindoor’, but the mere possibility of it created panic in Pakistan’s security agencies. At that time, reports emerged that INS Vikrant was on active surveillance in the strategic region of the Arabian Sea, and discussions of grave threats began in Islamabad’s defense circles.
Now, the possibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving on INS Vikrant on Diwali has deepened this message that India is not just a land power, but has also become the emperor of the seas.
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INS Vikrant is not just an aircraft carrier, but a symbol of India’s maritime power. Weighing approximately 45,000 tons and 262 meters long, this ship can carry more than 30 fighter aircraft and helicopters.
This is India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier built with indigenous technology, prepared by Cochin Shipyard and commissioned by the Navy in September 2022. Platforms like MiG-29K fighter aircraft, Kamov-31 helicopters, and Advanced Light Helicopters can be deployed on it.
Its greatest strength is the ‘ski-jump flight deck’, which gives fighter aircraft the capability to take off from extremely short distances. Vikrant has cutting-edge systems like sensor networks, radar systems, and electronic warfare suites, which make it a mobile war center.
The strategic geography of the Arabian Sea has always been sensitive for Pakistan. Its entire maritime lifeline, Karachi Port, Gwadar Port, and oil import supply lines, passes through here. In such a situation, the mere presence of an aircraft carrier like INS Vikrant puts Pakistan’s navy in a defensive position.
If the Indian Navy enters into a conflict between the two countries, Vikrant’s air wing can target Pakistan’s coastal bases from 300-400 kilometers away. Along with this, India has long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft like the P-8I Poseidon, which can monitor every movement up to Gwadar.
According to a naval officer, “A complete combat group of the Indian Navy moves with Vikrant, which includes missile frigates, submarines, and support ships. Pakistan knows this is no ordinary ship, but a mobile war front.”
Pakistan’s navy is considered small but alert. It has 10 major warships, 5 submarines, and some Chinese-assisted anti-ship missiles. But compared to these, India has more than 150 warships, 16 submarines, and two aircraft carriers (Vikrant and Vikramaditya).
Pakistan’s biggest weakness is its air defense and radar coverage. If Vikrant becomes part of any operation in the Arabian Sea, tracking or responding to it will be almost impossible for Pakistan. Many defense experts believe that Pakistan currently has no weapon or platform that can cause serious damage to Vikrant’s task force.
Let us tell you that Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates Diwali with the country’s soldiers every year. In 2014, he went to Siachen Glacier; in 2015 to front posts in Punjab; in 2016 to the Himalayan borders; and in recent years to forward posts in Rajasthan, Kashmir, and Arunachal.
If this time he celebrates Diwali on INS Vikrant, it will not just be tradition, but a strategic message that India is now as self-reliant and confident at sea as on land. This will be a clear warning to China in the Indian Ocean and to Pakistan in the Arabian Sea that India will protect its maritime interests at any cost.
