Post-Balakot, Navy hunted for Pakistan sub for 21 days

After the Pulwama terror attack, India pulled out its Navy from an exercise and deployed a major part of its fleet, including nuclear and conventional submarines, close to Pakistani territorial waters.

India was continuously keeping an eye on the movement of the Pakistani military but after Indian Air Force hit the Jaish terrorist factory in Balakot, one of the most advanced Pakistani Agosta-class submarines — PNS Saad— vanished from the Pakistani waters, a senior government source has said.

“The location near Karachi from where the PNS Saad vanished, it could reach the Gujarat coast in three days and the headquarters of the western fleet in Mumbai within five days and was seen as a major threat to the security of the country,” the sources said.

The anti-submarine warfare specialist warships and aircraft were positioned to help in the hunt for the missing Pakistani submarine.

“All the areas where it could have gone in the given timeframe, extensive searches were carried out by the Indian Navy. P-8Is were pressed into service to locate the submarine along with the coastal areas of Gujarat followed by Maharashtra and other states,” the sources said.

The Indian Navy’s latest induction, Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari, was also deployed in the hunt.

According to the source, Pakistanis were getting an impression that New Delhi might use its maritime force to avenge the killing of its 40 CRPF personnel in the suicide bombing by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Indian Navy kept expanding its area of search for the Pakistani boat and satellites were also used to locate it. After 21 days of an extensive search, Indian Navy finally located the PNS Saad on the western side of Pakistan.

It was sent there for hiding in order to ensure a covert capability in case of extension in hostilities in the aftermath of the Balakot airstrikes.