Indian Navy refutes Pak claim of 'pushing back' its submarine
18 Nov 2016
The Indian Navy on Friday rejected Pakistan's claim that its naval fleet stopped one of India's submarines from entering its territorial waters and chased it away.
''Categorically deny Pak media report that (an) Indian submarine was detected by Pak Navy and blocked from entering Pakistani waters,'' ANI quoted the navy as saying.
The report comes a week after the Western Naval Command concluded its 'Exercise Paschim Leher' in the Arabian Sea. The Navy also received four new Sonar systems from the DRDO for use in various ships.
The Pakistan Navy, however, claims to have detected an Indian submarine near its waters and "chased it out" in time.
A Geo TV report citing Pakistan Navy spokesperson said its naval fleet units "chased" the Indian submarine until it left Pakistani territory.
According to the report, the official attributed the ''push-back'' of the submarine to the Pakistani Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
The Western Naval Command of the Indian Navy concluded the nine-day operational exercise, called 'Exercise Paschim Lehar' in the Arabian Sea on Friday last.
The nine-day long exercise tested the combat readiness of the command at sea, including mobilisation and operational synchronisation, a defence spokesperson said.
A large number of ships, submarines and aircraft participated in the exercise. Various manoeuvres and deployments were exercised, in a networked environment, with a number of support units ashore also participating, the spokesperson said in a statement.
The exercise also saw participation of Indian Air Force, with a number of aircraft, and Indian Coast Guard units.
The scale of the exercise has been enhanced this year, and the exercise itself has been renamed as 'Exercise Paschim Leher.
Proactive operations as well as defensive operations were exercised, including various contingencies off the coasts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
