Pakistan just made a move that screams pure desperation. Days after India launched its massive tri-service military exercise ‘Trishul’, Islamabad scrambled to announce naval drills in overlapping waters near Sir Creek.
Pakistan’s navy on Saturday issued a notice for live-fire exercises from November 2 to 5, covering about 6,000 square kilometers in the northern Arabian Sea. The timing is hard to miss, barely 48 hours after India began a two-week operation showcasing coordinated power across its Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Open-source intelligence analyst Damien Symon was among the first to point out that Pakistan’s announced drill area overlaps with India’s Trishul exercise zone. While he described it as an “overlap,” the reality is simpler: Pakistan is operating in the same space because it lacks the maritime depth to conduct significant drills elsewhere.
Pakistan Tries to Keep Pace as India Leads the Show
The Sir Creek region, a 96-kilometer disputed stretch between Gujarat and Pakistan’s Sindh province, has become the center of an uneven military standoff. Both countries are holding exercises in the same waters, but their aims are very different. India is showcasing coordinated, high-tech operations across its armed forces, while Pakistan appears to be trying to stay visible and relevant.
Just before the naval announcement, Pakistan had also issued a Notice to Airmen restricting several air routes over central and southern Pakistan on October 28–29. The pattern is becoming clear: India unveils a major exercise, and Pakistan quickly follows with its own, using whatever limited resources it has to keep up.
The Ghost Of Operation Sindoor Still Haunts
These exercises are taking place barely six months after Operation Sindoor, in May, when India and Pakistan came dangerously close to an all-out war. India launched the operation following the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, targeting terror camps and military installations deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently said Pakistan’s “still recovering” from what happened in May. And earlier in October, he issued a pretty stark warning about the Sir Creek sector, which happens to fall right in the middle of where both these exercises are taking place. Singh promised an “overwhelming response” that would “alter the history and geography of the area” if Pakistan tried anything.
A Show for the Cameras, Not the Battlefield
India’s Trishul exercise showcases synchronized operations across all three services. Pakistan’s response? Live-fire drills in waters they’re forced to share with Indian forces, announced with just days’ notice, designed primarily for domestic consumption rather than actual military value.
This isn’t power projection. This is a face-saving exercise from a military establishment terrified of appearing weak. And everyone, including Pakistan, knows it.
