ISLAMABAD: The Pak­istan Navy last weekend thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter Pakistani waters, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.

“The Pakistan Navy with its unremitting vigilance and professional competence has once again detected and blocked the Indian submarine on Oct 16 from entering into Pakistani waters,” the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement.

It was the third reported attempt by an Indian submarine that had been “prematurely detected and tracked” by the PN Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The previous attempts were reported in March 2019 and Nov 2016.

A video released along with the ISPR statement showed an Indian naval submarine at periscope depth.

The previous two intrusion attempts were noticed close to Gwadar. The latest one was, meanwhile, detected nearly two hundred miles south of Karachi.

“During the prevailing security milieu, a strict monitoring watch has been kept by Pakistan Navy to safeguard maritime frontiers of Pakistan,” the ISPR said.

Tensions have once again been on the rise between the two countries.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah last week made a reference to the alleged 2016 ‘surgical strikes’ in the backdrop of claims of increasing violence in held Kashmir.

It should be recalled that the Nov 2016 incident was reported weeks after India claimed to have conducted so-called ‘surgical strikes’ on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control.

Meanwhile, March 2019 detection was reported after the military stand-off between the two countries in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

“The recent incident reflects the deplorable Indian machinations vis-à-vis commitment and resolve of the Pakistan Navy to defend maritime frontiers of the motherland,” the ISPR said.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2021