Pahalgam terror attack: Militaries of India, Pakistan on high alert

Amid escalating tensions, the Indian Navy’s latest guided missile destroyer INS Surat fired a medium-range surface-to-air missile against a ‘sea skimming’ target in the western Indian Ocean

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply on Thursday, with widespread expectations of possible punitive strikes by India in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. This follows several diplomatic measures targeting Pakistan, which responded with counter measures, even while the militaries of both countries remain on high alert.

Pahalgam terror attack: Follow major developments on April 24, 2025

Amid escalating tensions, the Indian Navy’s latest guided missile destroyer INS Surat fired a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) against a ‘sea skimming’ target in the Western Indian Ocean. This came just before Pakistan issued a ‘Nav area’ warning for live firing in the Arabian Sea spread over a vast area parallel to a major portion of its coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

These developments come amid speculation that India may strike against terrorists or terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC), strengthened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warning that “India will identify, track and punish every terrorist, their handlers and their backers.” The widespread perception is also a result of India’s past responses to major terror attacks, including the Uri surgical strikes in 2016 and the Balakot air strike in 2019.

Pahalgam terror attack: Full coverage

Navy’s missile test

“The Indian Navy’s latest indigenous guided missile destroyer INS Surat has successfully carried out a precision cooperative engagement of a sea-skimming target, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the Navy’s defence capabilities,” a Navy official said regarding the MRSAM test. The cooperation engagement means that the detection of the incoming threat, its classification, and then triggering the missile launch to shoot it down was done by more than one platform in realtime coordination.

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Meanwhile, indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which is based at Karwar port on the Western seaboard, is on deployment in the Arabian Sea as shown by satellite images. The Indian Air Force’s Akraman exercise is underway in the central sector. Defence sources said this is a routine training exercise held regularly.

Pakistan’s ‘Nav area’ warning issued on Wednesday (April 23) says that Pakistan’s Naval ships will conduct live surface and sub-surface firing, with the warning effective from the early hours of April 24 until 6 p.m. on April 25.

Also Read | Pahalgam terror attack: Pakistan reacts to India’s measures post-Pahalgam, shuts airspace, trade, Wagah border post, visas

India’s military options

India’s response options range from artillery and rocket strikes on terror camps and infrastructure, use of special forces or missile strikes like BrahMos and fighter strikes giving deeper strike options. Officials said that any military option exercised by India should factor in the escalation matrix, while choosing both what option to exercise and also the nature of the target, as it will certainly invite a response from Pakistan.

The Pakistan military is on high alert and their air warning aircraft have been undertaking flying exercises, likely as a precaution against an Indian response, officials said. Early warning aircraft try to gather electronic signals to see what the other side is upto, one official observed.

Any Indian military action has to also calibrate the possible response and how that can play out, especially in case they result in fatal casualties or significant damage to high value assets, several officials with knowledge of the issues observed.

For instance, the Balakot air strike by IAF on February 26, 2019 invited a retaliatory by Pakistan Air Force a day later which resulted in an aerial duel over the LoC that ended with Group Captain (then Wing Commander) Abhinandan Varthaman landing in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir as his Mig-21 Bison was hit in a dogfight. An IAF Mi-17 was also shot down in a case of friendly fire, killing all on board.

Published - April 24, 2025 10:58 pm IST