KARACHI: The Pakistan Navy (PN) thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter Pakistani territorial waters. But it is likely they could attack Karachi city and especially Port Qasim after two Indian Air Force MiG 21 aircraft were shot down by Pakistan Air Force, sources said.
A section of media reported this morning that the Pakistan Navy thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter Pakistani territorial waters. “The Pakistan Navy is always ready to guard its territorial waters and is capable of responding to any kind of aggression with full force,” said the navy, adding, “This great achievement has been a proof of Pakistan Navy’s superior capabilities.” The armed service further said that this is the second time since November 2016 that naval forces have caught the Indian Navy trying to enter the country’s territorial waters. The Indian submarine was not targeted keeping in view Pakistan’s policy of peace,” said a spokesperson from the PN and added that India must learn from this incident and “move towards peace”. The video of the Indian submarine was made when it came upto periscope depth, however, the PN would have been tracking it for a longer time with the assistance of aerial anti-submarine warfare assets.
Customs Today already reported a few days ago that Indians Rizwan Sultanali Soomar and Devang Mankodi were working illegally at QICT without approval of Ministry of Interior could pose security threat to Pakistan as they were allegedly providing secret information to India so a mere blackout of Ports could not serve the purpose. The reporting hierarchy of QICT Pakistan Ltd. remains where all information and data of the Port is possibly shared directly with Indians sitting in their regional office at India. Sources at SECP informed that management control of QICT Pakistan Ltd. is in the hands of foreign company which owns 75% of its shares. The holding company of QICT maintains its regional office in India and allegedly collects all the information and data related to Port Qasim activities at its Indian office, posing imminent threat to Pakistan.
Experts say that such involvement of India in management of strategic assets of Pakistan like QICT enables Indians to run their network like Kulbhushan Jadhav who was caught by Pakistani Army from Balochistan.
It would be difficult for Indian PM Nirendra Modi to inhale the recent humiliation of IAF debacle so he may be weighing different military options to use against Pakistan so as to gain cheap political mileage. Different reports suggest that surgical strike was the first option of India but the country failed miserably because Pakistan always keeps its SILLAC (Siemens Low Level Air Control System) air-defense system on a 24/7 radar sweep to detect any aerial ingress.
Now, India could use other options including an attack through its Navy or use its anti-state elements like Kulbhushan Jhadav to carry out blasts inside Pakistan. Some reports suggested that India could attack Karachi and Bahawalpur regions and in Karachi, it could attack Port Qasim and other naval and military basis.
India is involved in anti-state activities in Pakistan’s several cities including Balochistan province where Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was caught by the ISI. Kulbhushan Jadhav’s consensual statement is on record and he is a serving Navy officer in India. His unlawful activities were directed at creating anarchy in Pakistan and particularly targeted the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
To avoid such activities of Indians, Pakistan Army was apprised of Indians working at the QICT through a discreet control of its holding company which has 75% shares and management control of the QICT. Pak Army was apprised of some directors of holding company of QICT who are Indians and have been handling Indian Ports in the past like Rizwan Sultanali Soomar, an Indian national and now Chairman & Director of M/s DP World Karachi has been head of APM Terminals investments in India, also served as Director of Gujrat Pipavav Port Limited, India and also served as Managing Director of Maersk Line India & Sri Lanka. Also Devang Mankodi, an Indian national, is Director of DP World Karachi and he has served as Director of Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal India and also worked in Logistics Company in India. This implies that QICT Port of Pakistan is controlled by Indians.
Rizwan Sultanali Soomar
Devang Mankodi
Ports are highly sensitive and strategic assets of Pakistan which cannot be given in the hands of nationals of hostile countries. With such management holding of Indians, electronic data and sensitive information like in and out movement at the Port and other classified information of Pakistan can possibly be shared with India.
India always tried to damage Pakistan at every forum and after every incident of Indian terrorism in its territory. Extremist Indian PM Modi and their media started blaming Pakistan soon after Pulwama attack without any evidence. Then India announced the withdrawal of MFN status for Pakistan, following the attack, a move which would enable India to increase customs duty on goods coming from Pakistan. These are known tactics of India to divert global attention from gross human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir. Timings of this attack were benefitting Indian PM Modi as his party was losing ground in the elections. But Modi has failed miserably to use his surgical strike propaganda to gain election benefits. Now he could desperately weigh other options against Pakistan including a naval attack. But Pakistan is fully capable and ready to thwart every misadventure by India.