Tension in Arabian Sea: India’s Trishul Scares Pakistan as Islamabad Launches Naval Drills in Same Waters

New Delhi: Pakistan has made a move that looks like clear panic. Just a few days after India started its large-scale tri-service military exercise called ‘Trishul’, Islamabad hurried to announce its own naval drills in almost the same waters near Sir Creek.

Pakistan on Saturday released a press statement about live-fire exercises which are set to take place from November 02 (today) to November 05. This exercise will cover the area around 6,000 square kilometres in the northern Arabian Sea. The timing stands out—it came less than two days after India began its two-week-long operation to show the strength and coordination of its army, navy, and air force.

Why Did Pakistan Choose the Same Waters?

Open-source intelligence expert Damien Symon was among the first to note that Pakistan’s drill zone overlaps with India’s Trishul exercise area. He called it an “overlap”, but the reality is simpler—Pakistan doesn’t have enough maritime space to hold such big exercises elsewhere, so it ended up in the same area.

The Sir Creek region, a 96-kilometre disputed area between India’s Gujarat and Pakistan’s Sindh province, has once again become a point of tension. While both sides are conducting drills in the same waters, their goals are quite different. India is showing its advanced and well-coordinated military power, while Pakistan seems to be trying to prove it can still keep up.

Is Pakistan Simply Copying India’s Moves?

Before the naval announcement, Pakistan had also issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), restricting several air routes over central and southern Pakistan on October 28–29. The trend is now obvious—India announces a major exercise, and Pakistan follows soon after, using its limited resources to look equally active.

Does Operation Sindoor Still Cast a Shadow?

These new drills are happening just six months after Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. During that time, India targeted terror camps and military sites deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, bringing both nations close to a full-scale war.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently said that Pakistan is still recovering from the shock of what happened in May. Earlier in October, he warned that any misadventure in the Sir Creek area would be met with an “overwhelming response” that could “change the history and geography of the region.”

Is Pakistan’s Naval Drill More Show Than Strength?

India’s Trishul demonstrates smooth coordination across all branches of its armed forces. Pakistan’s reaction, however, looks rushed—announcing live-fire drills in the same waters just to appear strong in front of its people.

In truth, this isn’t about real military power. It’s more about saving face. Pakistan’s military, worried about looking weak, is putting on a performance that everyone—including Pakistan itself—knows is just for show.