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Hot waters - India and Pakistan flex their muscles in the Arabian Sea
Operation Sindoor revealed how maritime power - not missiles or borders - now defines the next phase of the India-Pakistan rivalry
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 "Mohammad Asif Khan")
 "An Indian Navy personnel stands guard during a media preview on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, anchored in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India, December 3, 2015 (Photo: Reuters)")
An Indian Navy personnel stands guard during a media preview on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, anchored in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai, India, December 3, 2015 (Photo: Reuters)
“Humne aapke mooh se niwala cheen liya, aapko mauka phir milega.” (“I snatched the morsel from your mouth, but your turn will come.”)That was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark to Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi during Operation Sindoor, a pointed reassurance that the Navy’s turn would come. The context: the Navy had been fully primed to strike Karachi port with a BrahMos missile, only to be told to stand down.The spark was a brutal terror attack in Kashmir that left 26 civilians dead. What followed was four days of punishing exchanges between India and Pakistan: artillery pounding
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Mohammad Asif Khan
Mohammad Asif Khan is a Senior Correspondent at Business Standard, where he covers defence, security, and strategic affairs.
 "Mohammad Asif Khan")
First Published: Oct 07 2025 | 12:26 PM IST
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