The timing of Exercise Trishul couldn’t be more deliberate. From October 30 to November 11, over 20,000 Indian troops supported by T-90S and Arjun tanks, attack helicopters, missile systems, Rafale and Sukhoi-30MKI fighters, and a fleet of frigates and destroyers will conduct integrated tri-service operations along the western border. The Indian Air Force has issued a Notice to Airmen restricting airspace up to 28,000 feet — a scale defence analysts describe as “unusual" and “unprecedented". More than just testing equipment or validating protocols, this mega exercise is about sending an unmistakable signal to Islamabad: the road to Karachi passes through Sir Creek, and India is prepared to take that road if provoked.

Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh said so in as many words recently. “If Pakistan dares to act in the Sir Creek sector, the reply will be so strong that it will change both history and geography," he warned, invoking the 1965 war when Indian forces reached the gates of Lahore. That reference wasn’t nostalgic reminiscence, but a cold and calculated reminder that Pakistan has tried this game before at Sir Creek and been thrashed for it.

History has a way of repeating itself, especially for those who refuse to learn from it. In April 1965, emboldened by American military aid and India’s vulnerabilities post the 1962 war with China, Pakistan launched Operation Desert Hawk in the Rann of Kutch. The Pakistani Army, equipped with US-supplied Patton tanks, pushed into Indian territory near the Kanjarkot Fort, capturing several border posts and mistaking Indian restraint for weakness. It was a calculated gambit—test India’s response, assess military readiness, and draw Indian armour away from Punjab and Kashmir.

Pakistan’s arrogance lasted barely four months. When India opened the Lahore front on September 6, Pakistani forces were caught completely unprepared. Indian troops advanced along three axes—Amritsar-Lahore, Khalra-Burki-Lahore, and Khemkaran-Kasur — overwhelming Pakistani troops and reaching the outskirts of the Islamic nation’s second-largest city. The Battle of Burki saw Indian infantry clash with entrenched Pakistani forces, ultimately forcing their withdrawal toward Dograi. By the time the UN-brokered ceasefire took effect on September 22, India had demonstrated its capability to threaten Lahore and push deep into Pakistani Punjab.

The war of 1965 proved a fundamental truth: Pakistan’s adventurism in border disputes leads to strategic humiliation. Yet six decades later, Islamabad appears to have learned nothing. Pakistan has been expanding military infrastructure near Sir Creek — building bunkers, radars, forward bases, and deploying Creek Battalions with coastal defence boats. Intelligence reports indicate Pakistan has mobilised air defences with missiles, surveillance aircraft, and........

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