Naval Power In Focus: India’s Maritime Leverage Over Pakistan’s Trade Routes If Provoked

During the 1999 Kargil War, the Indian Navy launched Operation Talwar by deploying over 30 warships from both its Eastern and Western Fleets to the Arabian Sea, effectively blocking Pakistan’s main maritime trade routes to Karachi and Port Qasim. The Navy’s aggressive patrolling and visible presence near Karachi deterred foreign merchant ships, disrupted oil and essential imports, and forced the Pakistan Navy into a defensive posture, keeping their ships in port and escorting tankers along the coast. As a result, Pakistan faced a severe fuel and supply crisis, with reserves dwindling to just six days’ worth of oil. The blockade…