Spying submarines

It is indeed a matter of great pride to hear that on October 16, one of Pakistan’s navy’s airborne surveillance units detected an Indian submarine operating close to our coastal waters and then forced it to withdraw from the area. Sometime last year, a similar incident occurred with the same outcome. Patrolling along an enemy’s coasts is a normal thing almost all nations undertake during peace time. Their primary mission is to collect information about the movement of ships and their traffic density, and for coastal photography. Submarines are best for such monitoring because they are difficult to detect. It is only when they come up for snorkelling – battery charge – that they are likely to be detected.

I am sure that our navy probably also undertakes similar peacetime missions. Its professional ascendancy over that of its counterpart is apparent given that our submarines have never been detected.

Cdre (r) Sajjad Ali Shah Bokhari

Islamabad