prabhu
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The June 16 incident in which a Pakistani warship "brushed past" an Indian frigate in the Gulf of Aden is not the first time that Pakistan has indulged in a hostile act on the high seas. It has aggressively baited Indian warships with, at least, three hostile acts recorded in the past few months. "We have seen a gradual ratcheting up of tensions at sea," admits a senior defence official. Officials say the June 16 incident was reported only because it became a major diplomatic incident between the two countries. It is also the first time that warships from both sides have actually made contact.
In the latest incident, the PNS Babur was escorting the MV Suez, an Egyptian-owned merchant vessel freed by Somali pirates, back to Pakistan when the INS Godavari arrived. The Pakistani warship approached the Indian vessel from the rear, causing superficial damage to the helicopter nets that had been spread out. Officials say Pakistan went on to accuse India of hampering rescue operations and brushing past the Babur. The charge that was hotly contested by both the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Navy, which submitted video and photographic evidence of the encounter to Pakistan.
It is almost an unwritten rule for both navy forces to shadow each other's warships from a respectable distance. However, over the past few months, Pakistani warships have manoeuvred their warships into several "close quarter situations" with their Indian counterparts, steaming past as close as 80 feet of them. Pakistani crewmen then shout obscenities and wave weaponries at the Indian sailors. The nautical equivalent of a "near miss" in aviation circles was a tactic used by the Soviet Union against NATO warships during the Cold War.
Such tactics blatantly violate Confidence Building Measures (CBM) signed ratified by both governments in 1992. The CBMS, drawn up after an Indian warship captain fired at a Pakistani maritime reconnaissance aircraft, mandated that warships of both sides stay three nautical miles (six km) away from each other. It also prohibited 'buzzing', or close passes made by aircraft, and informing each other of major naval exercises involving more than six warships.
These CBMS seem to have been consigned to history. In one incident a few years back, a Pakistani warship's helicopter flew above the Indian frigate helicopter deck, preventing an Indian naval helicopter from landing. Another Pakistani ship sailed provocatively close to the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. There have been cases of Pakistani crewmen stripping and flashing crew of Indian aircraft.
"Such actions smack of unprofessionalism," says Vice Admiral J.S. Bedi, former western naval commander. "No navy worth its salt would tolerate such actions," he adds. Naval officers say such actions are being condoned and even encouraged by the Pakistani brass. "If the captain of the INS Godavari did what his Pakistani counterpart did, he would face a court-martial," a naval official says.
"We have a dilemma," says a defence official. "If we respond, we run the risk of escalating the situation. But if we don't respond, we risk the demoralisation of our crew," he says. Both the government and Indian Navy have advised extreme caution in such hair-trigger situations because warships operate far from their shores and are heavily armed with missiles and guns.
One reason for Pakistani belligerence, say defence officials, is the growing confidence of its navy. Since 2001, it has added new platforms. The Chinese-built frigate, PNS Zulfiqar, was the first 'brand new' warship acquired by the Pakistan Navy that has so far only operated hand-me-downs from the US and UK navies. It has also gained expertise and respect by operating with international navies. It has commanded the multinational Combined Task Force-151 (CTF-151) four times since 2009. The force comprising five navies was set up two years ago to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin. This has led to a tendency for it to challenge the dominance of the Indian Navy, which is not part of the CTF-151.
There have been no direct CBMS between the two navies that would normally include port calls by each other's warships. While the armies of both sides have flag meetings to de-escalate tensions, there is no contact between the Indian and Pakistan navies. "We need something more than just CBMS to avoid such incidents at sea," says Vice Admiral Suresh Bangara, former deputy naval chief.
'Pakistan warship violates safety norms, damages Indian Frigate' : NATION: India Today
In the latest incident, the PNS Babur was escorting the MV Suez, an Egyptian-owned merchant vessel freed by Somali pirates, back to Pakistan when the INS Godavari arrived. The Pakistani warship approached the Indian vessel from the rear, causing superficial damage to the helicopter nets that had been spread out. Officials say Pakistan went on to accuse India of hampering rescue operations and brushing past the Babur. The charge that was hotly contested by both the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Navy, which submitted video and photographic evidence of the encounter to Pakistan.
It is almost an unwritten rule for both navy forces to shadow each other's warships from a respectable distance. However, over the past few months, Pakistani warships have manoeuvred their warships into several "close quarter situations" with their Indian counterparts, steaming past as close as 80 feet of them. Pakistani crewmen then shout obscenities and wave weaponries at the Indian sailors. The nautical equivalent of a "near miss" in aviation circles was a tactic used by the Soviet Union against NATO warships during the Cold War.
Such tactics blatantly violate Confidence Building Measures (CBM) signed ratified by both governments in 1992. The CBMS, drawn up after an Indian warship captain fired at a Pakistani maritime reconnaissance aircraft, mandated that warships of both sides stay three nautical miles (six km) away from each other. It also prohibited 'buzzing', or close passes made by aircraft, and informing each other of major naval exercises involving more than six warships.
These CBMS seem to have been consigned to history. In one incident a few years back, a Pakistani warship's helicopter flew above the Indian frigate helicopter deck, preventing an Indian naval helicopter from landing. Another Pakistani ship sailed provocatively close to the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. There have been cases of Pakistani crewmen stripping and flashing crew of Indian aircraft.
"Such actions smack of unprofessionalism," says Vice Admiral J.S. Bedi, former western naval commander. "No navy worth its salt would tolerate such actions," he adds. Naval officers say such actions are being condoned and even encouraged by the Pakistani brass. "If the captain of the INS Godavari did what his Pakistani counterpart did, he would face a court-martial," a naval official says.
"We have a dilemma," says a defence official. "If we respond, we run the risk of escalating the situation. But if we don't respond, we risk the demoralisation of our crew," he says. Both the government and Indian Navy have advised extreme caution in such hair-trigger situations because warships operate far from their shores and are heavily armed with missiles and guns.
One reason for Pakistani belligerence, say defence officials, is the growing confidence of its navy. Since 2001, it has added new platforms. The Chinese-built frigate, PNS Zulfiqar, was the first 'brand new' warship acquired by the Pakistan Navy that has so far only operated hand-me-downs from the US and UK navies. It has also gained expertise and respect by operating with international navies. It has commanded the multinational Combined Task Force-151 (CTF-151) four times since 2009. The force comprising five navies was set up two years ago to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin. This has led to a tendency for it to challenge the dominance of the Indian Navy, which is not part of the CTF-151.
There have been no direct CBMS between the two navies that would normally include port calls by each other's warships. While the armies of both sides have flag meetings to de-escalate tensions, there is no contact between the Indian and Pakistan navies. "We need something more than just CBMS to avoid such incidents at sea," says Vice Admiral Suresh Bangara, former deputy naval chief.
'Pakistan warship violates safety norms, damages Indian Frigate' : NATION: India Today
