Navy detects Indian submarine in Pak waters

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Navy, with its unremitting vigilance and professional competence, once again detected and blocked an Indian submarine on October 16 from entering the Pakistani waters.

The Indian Navy had twice earlier made similar attempts in 2016 and 2019, which were successfully repelled. During the prevailing security milieu, strict monitoring watch has been kept by Pakistan Navy to safeguard the maritime frontiers of the country, said an ISPR news release. “It is the third incident of its kind wherein, an Indian naval submarine was detected and tracked by PN Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft,” said the ISPR.

It added that the Oct 16 incident was the third time an Indian submarine had been detected and tracked by the Pakistan Navy’s long-range maritime patrol aircraft. “The recent incident reflects the deplorable Indian machinations vis-à-vis commitment and resolve of Pakistan Navy to defend maritime frontiers of the motherland,” the statement reads.

There were earlier two attempts as well on March 2019 and November 2016 when Indian submarines were tracked and pushed clear out of Pakistan’s waters.

The UN Convention on Law of Sea does not allow a state to carry out manoeuvres or exercises in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and in the continental shelf of another coastal state without its consent. EEZ signifies an area of coastal water and seabed within a certain distance of a country’s coastline that cannot be entered without permission or prior information. Pakistan’s territorial waters are spread over 12 nautical miles while its seabed territory (EEZ) grew to 290,000 square kilometres in 2015.