(Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal, Deputy President National Defence University, Islamabad)
To ‘subdue the enemy without fighting’ is the ‘acme of skill,’ writes Sun Tzu in his magnum opus ‘the art of war’. It is not a product of sheer luck but a master stroke, a ‘stratagem’ as per Clausewitz, that involves years of strategizing to craft a superior strategy that directly targets the heart of enemy’s strategy, and not necessarily it’s forces. Indeed the worst time for a fighting side is when it is left with no options at the battlefield due to opponent’s superior strategy. In chess we know it as Checkmate, and that’s exactly what Pakistan Navy did to the Indian Navy at sea during the recent skirmish.
As the author alluded to in these pages (Maritime Miscalculation, The Nation, 5 May 2025) before the start of shooting war on land, Indian Navy, by planning to fight the last war, had chalked out a grandiose plan to blockade Karachi and attack from the seaward axis. However in their hearts the enemy knew that an alert and adroit Pakistan Navy with a comprehensive Anti Access & Area Denial strategy had left no option for them at sea and that their entire fleet, including aircraft carrier Vikrant would be pulverized and sunk if they dare to close Pakistani coast. Hence they took refuge in the information domain by planting a fake story in ‘the telegraph’ about the sailing of Vikrant. In the author’s personal opinion the news was targeted more at their domestic audience to prove that the Indian Navy, which has been given a lion’s share of the defence budget, was doing something. Whereas in fact the Vikrant proved to be like the proverbial US 7th Fleet that never came to the Indian Ocean! Rather it was sighted back in Karwar naval base after two days only, a credit to its seaworthiness.
As the shooting war at land and in air started, the Indians tried to fool their public again by throwing up fictitious and rather comic claims about destruction of port of Lahore (sic) and Karachi. However, little do they realize that fake news is like the proverbial ropes of Pharaoh’s magicians which can scare the public for a moment but cannot stand the Moses’ snake that symbolizes truth! Resultantly the Indian public soon realized the preposterous claims being a farce and criticized their political and military leadership no end.
Furthermore, zero detection of Indian submarine off Pakistan coast is a testament to the fact that Indian Navy was so scared to lose their submarines that they never deployed them anywhere close to the Pakistani coast. Tracking of the Indian Navy’s state of the art P8I surveillance plane by the Pakistan Navy also sent a strong message to the enemy of the shape of things to come. Neither did the P8I venture again nor the Sea Guardian UAVs closed Pakistani coast.
Left Out of Battle (LOB) in war is a curse for any military unit. Here it is a unique occasion that an entire military service, Indian Navy, has been Left Out of Battle due to Pakistan Navy’s superior strategy. It is feat par excellence, worth analysing further by naval historians. But in Pakistan and the Muslim world, it is no surprise as guidance from the Quran is very clear … In Surah Baqarah(2:249), while citing the epic victory of David over much stronger Goliath, Quran mentions “Many a time has a small band defeated a large horde by the will of God. God is with those who are patient (and persevere).” Hence all praise be to Allah for this glorious chapter in the naval history of Pakistan.
The war may be over, as indeed all wars come to an end. But the enduring rivalries continue, and in this case it has deepened further. The extent to which India went on land, striking deep and wide inside Pakistan, a nuclear power, can only be explained through terms like imperial hubris, strategic folly and madman theory. It is no wonder that modern Germans remember Hitler with disdain now, a Strongman like Modi then with public rallying behind, who pushed Germany into flames. It is anybody’s guess whether Indian Congress will pick up pieces to mount a fight against the existential threat posed by Modi and his coteri or be relegated to irrelevance.
As regards sea domain, Pakistan Navy remains ever vigilant of the opportunistic enemy who will try to exploit or create an opportunity to raise the ante in order to recover somewhat from the historic embarrassment. But let there be no doubt; Pakistan Navy’s Chakravyuh (impregnable defence) will be ready to greet them again.
(Author can be reached at javaid_iq_bal@yahoo.com)
