New Delhi: Weeks after of Rajnath Singh’s terse message to Pakistan on altering their history and geography if any misadventure is done in the Sir Creek region, India has begun a 2-week tri-service exercise Trishul along the Pakistan border. The exercise is being led by the Indian Navy, deploying around two dozens of its warships, including amphibious transport dock INS Jalashwa and other platforms.
Sources in the defence establishment stated that over 50,000 personnel from tri-service and other agencies have been deployed. The exercise, which began on October 31, is being conducted along the western front.
Talking to reporters, Indian Navy’s director general naval operation Vice Admiral AN Pramod said: “This is not just a conventional drill. It is a 'Multi-Domain Integrated Operation' that explicitly includes the non-conventional domains of Cyber and Space.”
The exercise assumes significance as it is being conducted for the first time since ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The exercise brings together special forces, missile units, warships, battle tanks and frontline fighter jets such as the Rafale and Sukhoi Su-30 for coordinated operations.
From Indian Air Force, an officer said that over 40 fighter jets are participating in the 2-week-long exercise.
While the exercise spans both Gujarat and Rajasthan, officials said the focus will primarily be on the Kutch region, viewed as a potential new flashpoint along the western frontier.
Speaking at the Vijayadashmi celebrations after performing Shastra Puja at the Bhuj Military Station in Gujarat, Rajnath Singh had said: “Pakistan had tried to penetrate India’s defences from Leh to Sir Creek Sector, but the swift counter-action of our forces not only exposed their weaknesses but also showed that India can inflict heavy damage at a time and place of its choosing.”
He had accused Pakistan of persisting with disputes over the Sir Creek area even 78 years after Independence, pointing to its recent military infrastructure expansion in the sector.
“In 1965, the Indian Army reached Lahore. Pakistan must remember today that the road to Karachi also passes through the Creek,” he cautioned.
The exercise Trishul will culminate on November 13.
