A day after India and Pakistan agreed to halt military operations, top Indian military officials held a press briefing on Sunday evening. DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, Air Marshal A K Bharti – DG Air Ops, and Vice Admiral A N Pramod – DG Navy Ops addressed the briefing held at National Media Centre in New Delhi. In this briefing, the Indian government for the first time revealed the deployment of Indian Navy assets on the northern Arabian Sea, close to the Pakistani coast.
Vice Admiral Pramod said that the Indian Navy was present at sea with full force, including its carrier battle group. He said that the Navy was ready to hit several Pakistani targets at sea and on land, including the port city of Karachi.
He said that the Indian Navy’s carrier battle group, surface forces, submarines and aviation assets were immediately deployed at sea with full combat readiness according to the joint action plan of the Indian defence forces.
He revealed that within 96 hours of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Navy tested and refined its tactics and procedures at sea during multiple firings in the Arabian Sea. After that, the naval forces remained deployed at the northern Arabian Sea in a decisive and deterrent posture with full readiness and capacity to strike select targets at sea and on land, including Karachi, at any time chosen by India.
This compelled Pakistani naval and air units to be in a defensive posture, mostly inside harbours and close to the coast. The Vice Admiral said that the Indian Navy maintained continuous marine dominance during the entire duration, and was aware of the location and movement of Pakistani units.
He said that the strong position of the three armed forces of India compelled Pakistan to request for end to military action. Vice Admiral Pramod said that even though there is a ceasefire, the Indian Navy remains deployed at sea to respond decisively to respond to any action by Pakistan or Pakistan-based terrorists.
