Hours after the Pakistan Navy claimed it had thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine – said to be INS Kalvari – to enter the country’s territorial waters, the Indian Navy accused Pakistan of “indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation”.
“…The Indian Navy remains deployed as necessary to protect National Maritime Interests. Over the past several days, we have witnessed Pakistan indulging in false propaganda and spread of misinformation. The Indian Navy does not take cognisance of such propaganda. Our deployments remain undeterred.”Indian Navy statement
The Pakistan Navy on Tuesday, 5 March, had shared footage showing the submarine with the media, saying it was “actual”. The footage, it is claimed, was made at 2035 hours on 4 March. The veracity of the video could not be ascertained.
"The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a spokesperson had said in a statement.
The coordinates given in the image released reportedly showed the submarine to be around 200 km from Karachi, falling in international waters. According to security sources cited by ThePrint, no action could have been taken against the vessel if it was in international waters.
According to the Pakistani spokesperson, the Indian submarine was not deliberately targeted by the Pakistan to give peace a chance.
"The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan's policy of peace," the official said, adding that India must learn from this incident and "move towards peace".
“The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force.”Pakistan Navy
The naval forces claimed it was the second attempt since November 2016 that they have caught the Indian Navy trying to enter the country's territorial waters.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on 26 February.
The next day, the Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on 1 March.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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