Tensions are escalating in the Arabian Sea as Pakistan launches live-fire naval exercises in the same waters where India is currently conducting its expansive ‘Trishul’ military drills. This overlap of war games between two nuclear-armed neighbors raises significant concerns about potential miscalculations and escalating conflicts.
Pakistan’s navy announced its drills, scheduled from November 2nd to 5th, covering approximately 6,000 square kilometers in the northern Arabian Sea. This is precisely the area where Indian warships, submarines, and fighter jets, alongside tens of thousands of soldiers, are actively engaged in the ‘Trishul’ exercise. Pakistan issued a clear advisory for mariners to avoid the designated exercise zone.
The maritime territories of both nations in the northern Arabian Sea are adjacent, making some degree of overlap inevitable. However, the timing of Pakistan’s drills, commencing just two days after India’s major two-week exercise began, is particularly noteworthy. This Indian operation is its most significant show of military strength since a tense confrontation with Pakistan in May.
Geo-intelligence experts have highlighted that both countries have effectively designated the same oceanic space for their respective military maneuvers. This situation, involving live surface and sub-surface firing by Pakistani warships in close proximity to Indian forces, creates a highly volatile environment.
The current exercises are taking place only six months after ‘Operation Sindoor,’ a period where India and Pakistan narrowly averted full-scale war. India initiated that operation in response to a deadly terror attack. The strategic implications of these overlapping drills, especially concerning the disputed Sir Creek sector, are a major point of global focus.