Muhammad Asim Saddiqi 
India has launched a major military exercise involving all three-Armed Forces on the western borders of Gujarat and Rajasthan. The exercise, named ‘Trishul’ began last week and will continue till November 13, 2025. It includes exercises in the desert areas of the western borders with Pakistan and from the Sir Creek region of Gujarat to the Arabian Sea. Defence experts are calling it the biggest military drill since the recent hostilities between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Navy has also started a naval exercise in the North Arabian Sea on Sunday and it will continue till November 5. Daniel Simon, an international expert who monitors military drills and missile tests, wrote on the social media platform X that after India, “Pakistan has now issued a naval navigational warning for a firing exercise in the same region of the Arabian Sea.” This is the same region in which India has reserved airspace for joint exercises of its forces for two weeks.
Although the geographical area of these exercises is overlapping, Simon argues that simultaneous exercises of the two countries are not a novel phenomenon and both countries are expected to avoid any untoward incident. International media correspondent Riaz Sohail from Karachi has reported that Pakistan Navy exercise has begun in the Arabian Sea as part of the Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference, which is ongoing in Karachi. Pakistan Navy says that 133 delegations from 44 countries are participating in this expo.
A senior Navy official said that it is a requirement of international law to issue aviation warnings for any exercises that take place and warnings have also been issued based on these exercises. It may be recalled that last week, Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf visited the forward posts in the Creeks area. According to Pakistan Navy Spokesperson, Admiral Naveed Ashraf visited the forward posts in the Creeks area to review operational readiness and combat capability. During this visit, three state-of-the-art 2400 TD hovercraft were also inducted into the fleet of the Pakistan Marines, which increased the capabilities and operational reach of the Pakistan Navy in many areas.
According to the Spokesperson, Pakistan Navy Chief said in his address that from Sir Creek to Jiwani, he knows how to defend every inch of Pakistan’s maritime borders and that the Navy is as capable as its unwavering morale from the seas to the shores. The alert issued by Pakistan for the naval exercise from November 2 to 5 covers firing drills in an area of approximately 6,000 square kilometers in the air and under the sea. During the exercise, this area will be under coordinated surveillance. Ships are alerted to stay away from the exercise area.
On the other hand, the exercise called ‘Trishul that India has started on its western borders includes the Sir Creek sector, which separates the Indian state of Gujarat from Pakistan’s Sindh province. The 96-kilometer-long disputed sea route of Sir Creek is now gaining importance as a flash point between the two countries. Last month, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, apparently referring to the alleged new military build-up on Pakistan’s side of Sir Creek, said, “If Pakistan does any misadventure in the Sir Creek area, it will be given a befitting reply.”
His statement comes against the backdrop of the ongoing exercises of the Indian forces in Sir Creek and the Arabian Sea. Defence analyst Rahul Bedi told the international media that “the exercise is also being conducted in the Run of Kutch region of Gujarat, where Sir Creek is located. The approximately 96-km long creek between India and Pakistan has not yet been decided. The exercise is also focusing on the periphery of this region.” He added that the Indian Navy will lead large-scale joint exercises with the Air Force and Army in the said region.
Many analysts and retired military officers believe that after Indo-Pak 2025 conflict, it is an attempt by India to show Pakistan that Indian forces are fully deployed and ready. Although there are no signs of any collision, an attempt was made to send a message through this exercise.
India’s Director General of Naval Operations, Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod, had said last Friday that the Southern Army Command, Western Naval Command and South Western Air Command are participating in this exercise. He had said that 20 to 25 warships, 40 fighters and other support aircraft and combat assets are participating in it. Rahul Bedi, further said that ‘this military exercise is being conducted on a very large scale. About 20,000 soldiers are participating in it.’
Rahul Bedi suggests, ‘this exercise has two objectives. The first is to gain jointness, that is, the ability of the Army, Navy and Air Force to work together, and the second is to create an integrated network of the Army.’
However, Pravin Sawhney, editor and analyst of the defense journal ‘FORCE’, believes that ‘Trishul is a routine annual exercise and is being widely publicized in India. He says that ‘This military exercise has nothing to do with the Sir Creek dispute. The Modi government wants to show that India is a very powerful country. This exercise is being widely publicized here. As a precaution, Pakistan has also started its own exercise.’
Pravin Sawhney added that ‘what has to be understood is that Iran is also a powerful country in this region, Pakistan is also powerful. China is present in Djibouti with its power. Now the news has come that the Russians have also established their base in Madagascar. Doing anything in this region will mean a full-scale war.’ He says, ‘All the battles or clashes that have taken place under the Modi government so far in 2016, 2019 and 2025 have been centered on Kashmir, but if you do anything in the international sea, it means a full-scale war.’ India is not ready for this situation yet. It has to be better prepared. Pakistan is not alone in this region. There are big powers sitting here.’ He too is of the view that this is just a routine exercise.
This Report was originally published in BCC Urdu
