On April 22, a terror attack in the Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam, killed 26 civilians. The victims were predominantly Hindus, with one Christian and a local Muslim. Terrorists with M4 carbines and AK-47 rifles entered the tourist spot lined with thick pine forests. This is now the worst attack on civilians in India after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
India retaliated with Operation Sindoor, hitting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with precision strikes. These attacks were a major retaliation against the perpetrators and were intended to destroy terror infrastructure on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).
In reprisal for India’s cross-border raids, Pakistan hit 15 western Indian cities on consecutive nights. India replied with drone and missile strikes, managing to take out a crucial Pakistani air defence network in Lahore. On Thursday night, Pakistan replied by striking Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur with drones. India has now set its sights on Islamabad, after it had attacked Lahore and Karachi in a dramatic buildup.
India’s S-400 air defence systems shot down eight missiles and a number of drones in Jammu’s sensitive areas. Two kamikaze drones were shot down in Poonch, although one did hit Jammu Airport. The continued escalation has left both the countries in a state of panic and for complete involvement of the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Last time a situation like this occured was during the Indo-Pak war in 1971.
A Master Plan, A Decoy
Pakistan’s most powerful submarine, PNS Ghazi, a long-distance submarine leased originally from the United States, had a high-priority mission. It was to find and destroy INS Vikrant, India’s sole aircraft carrier then. Vikrant was an aircraft carrier-cum-float fortress, bestowing India with invaluable air domination of the oceans. On 14 November 1971, Ghazi sailed from Karachi for a clandestine 4,800-kilometre course towards the east coast, in the vicinity of Visakhapatnam.
However, Indian intelligence had already picked up on Ghazi’s movements. To outwit the submarine, the Indian Navy launched a clever counter-strategy. INS Rajput, a World War II destroyer with Lieutenant Commander Inder Singh at the helm, was sent in as a decoy. INS Rajput carried imitation communication signals to masquerade as INS Vikrant to lure Ghazi into a trap. The true Vikrant continued to remain at a safe location near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the meantime.
Pakistani commanders were duped by this ruse and believed INS Vikrant was sitting at the Visakhapatnam port. On the basis of this false assumption, Ghazi began the monitoring near the port. When INS Rajput was approaching on December 3–4, 1971, Ghazi fired depth charges into the sea. This was succeeded by a tremendous underwater explosion. Ghazi went down, and all 93 on board died. The submarine wreckage was a harsh blow to Pakistan’s naval ambitions, and it gave India one of its most historic victories at sea.
Operations Trident and Python
India’s maritime supremacy was further reinforced by Operation Trident on 4 December 1971, when Indian missile craft struck Karachi harbour. They destroyed PNS Muhafiz, PNS Khaibar, and MV Venus Challenger, and damaged the destroyer PNS Shah Jahan. Kemari oil tanks were also targeted, paralysing fuel supply to the Pakistani military.
Operation Python followed on December 8–9. Indian vessels INS Vinash, INS Talwar, and INS Trishul attacked once more, sinking merchant ships and destroying the Pakistani fleet tanker PNS Dacca. The operations destroyed over half of Karachi’s fuel storage and left a dent in Pakistan’s naval logistics.
PNS Ghazi Wreck Found After 50 Years
In February 2024, more than half a century after, the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle of the Indian Navy located the wreck of PNS Ghazi at a depth of approximately 100 metres, 2.5 km off Visakhapatnam. Although the reason for its sinking continues to be contested, the location of the wreck upholds Indian claims of having sunk it off the eastern coast.
Regardless of this discovery, the wreckage remained untouched as a gesture of respect to the victims. The 1971 conflict had ended in victory for India with full mastery of the sea, imposing a half-blockade on Karachi harbour and disabling Pakistani naval forces.
