By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan announced restrictions on certain flight routes over Karachi and Lahore starting Tuesday, citing operational safety concerns, as India prepares for a large-scale military exercise along their shared western border that includes disputed territory.
The move by the Pakistan Airports Authority, detailed in a notice to airmen issued Saturday, comes amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, fueled by recent cross-border operations and aggressive rhetoric from military and political leaders on both sides.
“The restrictions are effective from Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at 5:01am Pakistan Standard Time (PKT) and will remain in place until Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 9am PKT,” the notice said. It described the changes as a “routine operational safety matter” implemented for “operational reasons” to ensure “the continued safety and effective management of air traffic.”
The Pakistani announcement followed a similar notice from Indian aviation authorities a day earlier, which open-source tracker Damien Symon said was “possibly for a military exercise/weapons test as India prepares for its Tri-Services Exercise across the border.”
Symon, quoted in earlier Reuters reports, noted that India had issued a separate notice for the tri-services exercise from Oct. 30 to Nov. 10, calling the “chosen area and scale of activity” unusual. A map shared by Symon showed the exercise area stretching from the Indian city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to the disputed Sir Creek marsh area, a longstanding point of contention between the two countries where talks on the maritime boundary have remained inconclusive.
Indian media outlets reported that the exercise would involve the army, navy and air force, aimed at demonstrating “growing joint operational capabilities, self-reliance and innovation.” Firstpost described it as a “large-scale tri-services exercise” along the Pakistan border, “amid rising tensions following Operation Sindoor.”
The outlet quoted the Indian defence ministry as saying that “troops from Southern Command will actively participate to validate joint operations across diverse and challenging terrains, including offensive manoeuvres in the creek and desert sectors, amphibious operations off the Saurashtra coast, and joint multi-domain operational exercises encompassing Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Cyber capabilities.”
The announcements coincided with high-level visits by Indian defence leaders to border areas. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited soldiers in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, on Thursday, where he claimed Operation Sindoor had “sent a strong warning to Pakistan, which would now ‘think twice before attempting any misadventure against India,’” according to Firstpost.
The same day, Singh visited the Bhuj Military Station in Gujarat and warned Pakistan against any action in the disputed Sir Creek area. “If Pakistan dares to act in the Sir Creek sector, the reply will be so strong that it will change both history and geography,” India Today quoted him as saying.
On the Pakistani side, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf visited forward posts in the creek areas to review operational preparedness and combat readiness, according to a Pakistan Navy press release. He emphasised that sea lines of communication and maritime security were not just a military requirement but a “cornerstone” of the nation’s sovereignty and a “vital pillar” of economic prosperity and stability.
The admiral described the navy as the “vanguard of peace and stability” in the Indian Ocean and a “significant stakeholder” in regional maritime security. “We know how to defend our sovereignty and every inch of our maritime frontiers from Sir Creek to Jiwani,” he said.
Ashraf also reaffirmed that the navy’s defence capabilities stood “as strong as our unwavering morale, from the shores to the sea. “During the visit, three state-of-the-art 2400 TD Hovercraft were inducted into the Pakistan Marines, marking a “significant stride” in modernising the navy’s operational capabilities.
The press release noted that the hovercrafts are capable of operating over shallow waters, sand dunes, marshy and boggy littoral zones, and can function in areas where traditional craft are unsuitable. “This unique capability of undertaking simultaneous operations over land and sea provides an edge to Pak Marines in the performance of their assigned tasks,” it said. “It will also strengthen PN’s capabilities for an effective and decisive response against all adversaries.”
While addressing officers and men, Admiral Ashraf highlighted that the induction “symbolises PN’s vision to modernise and reaffirm unwavering resolve in bolstering defence of the country’s maritime frontiers,
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated sharply in early May after an attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam prompted New Delhi to launch Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting sites inside Pakistan and causing civilian casualties. India blamed Pakistan without presenting evidence, leading to Pakistan’s retaliatory Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, which involved heavy artillery and drone exchanges before a US-led push brokered a ceasefire.
Since then, Indian leaders, including military chiefs, have issued aggressive statements repeating terrorism allegations that Pakistan has refuted, while warning of “geographical changes” in any future conflict. On May 30, Singh said India would use the firepower of its navy in response to any future aggression by Pakistan, Reuters reported.
Pakistan’s military has dismissed such statements as attempts to “mould history to its liking by inventing outlandish, Bollywood-style scripts” in the aftermath of the May conflict. It has warned that any “imaginary new normal” entertained by Indian leadership would be met with a “new normal of swift retributive response.” “In the face of highly provocative statements of the Indian defence minister and its army and air chiefs, we caution that a future conflict might lead to cataclysmic devastation,” the Pakistani military said earlier in October. “In case a fresh round of hostilities is triggered, Pakistan shall not hold back. We shall resolutely respond, without any qualms or restraint.”
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