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Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
IAF to launch major drill on Pakistan border from today
NEW DELHI: India will launch a major air combat exercise close to the international border in Rajasthan with frontline fighters like Rafales, Mirage-2000s & Sukhoi-30MKIs as well as force-multipliers, in some more muscle-flexing to keep Pakistan on the edge after naval drills in the north Arabian Sea. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A NOTAM (notice to airmen) for airspace reservation has been issued for the exercise over a large area hugging the border with Pakistan from 3.30pm on Wednesday to 9.30pm on Thursday, officials said. The public warning came as Indian and Pakistan armies Tuesday talked over the director-general of military operations (DGMO) hotline, while they continued to exchange small arms fire at multiple places across Line of Control for the 12th successive night. The high-tempo air drill, which the IAF described as a "routine pre-planned training exercise", will include the entire spectrum of day and night warfare under simulated hostile conditions. This is in keeping with the high operational readiness being maintained by the Indian armed forces, as various military options against Pakistan are being kept open by govt. Fighters, helicopters, remotely-piloted aircraft and force-enablers like IL-78 mid-air refuellers and airborne early-warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft will be deployed from different air bases for the exercise. Rajasthan itself has some key airbases like Jaisalmer, Uttarlai, Suratgarh, Nal and Phalodi. The IAF exercise mirrors the Navy's multiple drills conducted in the northern Arabian Sea last week, with several frontline warships being deployed and BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and other weapon systems being tested. One specified zone was just around 80-85 nautical miles from where the Pakistan navy was undertaking its own drills. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The show of force has now been extended from the maritime to the air domain. The IAF has been undertaking regular combat air patrols (CAPs) amid the heightened tensions with Pakistan, while it has also increased the number of operational readiness platforms (ORPs) at airbases on the western front. Over the DGMO hotline, through which talks traditionally take place every Tuesday, the Indian Army is learnt to have raised the issue of Pakistan army posts opening "unprovoked" small arms fire at several locations across the 778-km long LoC. The exchanges with rifles and LMGs took place in areas like Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor on Monday night, with Indian troops "responding promptly in a proportionate manner", an officer said. While heavy-calibre weapons like 155mm artillery guns and 120mm mortars are not yet being used by either side, this upward spiral in ceasefire violations (CFVs) - since the Pahalgam terror massacre - was last witnessed when India had scrapped the provisions of Article 370 in Aug 2019. It had led to a particularly violent 2020, with as many as 5,133 CFVs of firing and artillery duels being recorded that year. In Feb 2021, the two DGMOs had reached a fresh understanding to maintain peace and tranquillity along the LoC and the 198-km international boundary in J&K. Earlier, in May 2018, a similar understanding between the DGMOs had gradually withered away with escalation in cross-border hostilities.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
India's water will flow, stop in India's interests, be of use only to India: PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Days after India put the Indus Waters Treaty on hold, triggering protestations from Pakistan, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack , PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the water, which belonged to India, would flow in India's favour and be used by India only.'Pehle Bharat ke haq ka paani bhi bahar ja raha tha... ab Bharat ka paani Bharat ke haq me bahega, Bharat ke haq mai rukega aur Bharat ke hi kaam aayega (Earlier, even the water belonging to India was flowing out, now India's water will flow for India's benefit, will stay here for India's benefit and will be utilised for India only),' the PM said at an event organised by ABP remarks came as IAF gears up to carry out a major air combat exercise close to the international border in Rajasthan. Frontline fighters such as Rafales, Mirage-2000s and Sukhoi-30MKIs as well as force-multipliers will be part of the exercise, coming close on the heels of naval drills in the north Arabian armies spoke over the DGMO hotline Tuesday, with the Indian side raising the issue of Pakistan army posts opening 'unprovoked' small arms fire at several locations across the LoC. Firing continued for the 12th successive night.
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pak on alert, India will have to carefully weigh military options
NEW DELHI: With Pakistan already cranking up its entire air defence and alertness levels, India will have to very carefully weigh its military options for limited punitive strikes, if it decides to exercise them, given the risk of escalation with a nuclear-armed neighbour. "The Pak hand is clear in the Pahalgam massacre . There are a variety of military options, short of a full-blown war, on the table. It's for the political leadership to take the final call. If there is a go-ahead, then the retaliatory strikes will be at a time and place of our choosing," a senior military officer told TOI after a flurry of top-level meetings on Wednesday. The hard-nosed intent for cross-border retaliation , in keeping with the Modi govt's self-avowed muscular image on national security issues, was also evident when defence minister Rajnath Singh addressed an IAF event in the afternoon. There would be swift and strong action against not only the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam massacre, but also the orchestrators behind the scenes who conspired to carry out the heinous act on Indian soil, he said. There is realisation among the military brass here that Pakistan will not be caught off-guard like it was during the Balakot air strikes in Feb 2019 or the earlier ground-based ' surgical strikes ' to take out four ' terror launch pads ' across the Line of Control (LoC) in Sept 2016. With the well-equipped Pakistan military being no pushover, the pros and cons of every option, along with the escalation matrix, will have to be factored into the decision-making. Military officers, on their part, contend that "carefully-calibrated precision air strikes" against non-state targets by fighters like Rafales, Mirage-2000s and Sukhoi-30MKIs - armed with long-range weapons like the French 'Scalp' air-to-ground cruise missiles, Israeli Crystal Maze missiles and Spice-2000 precision guided penetration bombs - remain "the best and most effective option". "One can always achieve the element of surprise on Day-1 with airborne strikes. The day after the Balakot strikes, Pakistan managed to surprise the IAF with its 'Operation Swift Retort' because we let our guard down. Lessons have been learnt," another senior officer said. Govt will have to be fully prepared for escalation if it decides to go for air strikes. A less-escalatory tactical option will be to break the ongoing ceasefire with Pakistan along the 778-km LoC, which has largely held since it was renewed in Feb 2021. This will involve targeted firings by artillery guns and heavy mortars as well as concerted sniping and other such operations to disrupt their patrols in forward areas. "All this can be very effective in raising the costs for the other side," an officer said. Then, there are shallow raids that can be conducted to destroy the makeshift terror launch pads that are generally located close to Pak army posts to ensure terrorists can cross the LoC in a single night. As per latest estimates, there are 110-120 terrorists present in 42 launch pads along the LoC, with 32 of them being south of the Pir Panjal range and 10 in the north. "Terror launch pads close to LoC can be good targets," the officer said. If it comes to escalation, then the artillery barrages can be supplemented by longer-range standoff weapons like the 90-km range Smerch and 45-km Pinaka rocket systems and the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, whose strike range has been extended to 450 km.
