India's tri-service 'Trishul' exercise near Sir Creek; Pak closes airspace

NEW DELHI: India is preparing for a tri-service exercise near Sir Creek on the Pakistan border. The military exercise 'Trishul' of the army, navy and air forces will be held from the 30th of this month to 10th November. In connection with this, a 'NOTAM' (Notice to Airmen) was issued on the 28th and 29th to impose restrictions on non-military aircraft. With this, Pakistan closed its airspace for two days. In addition to the military exercise, India may also conduct weapons tests. The move has left the neighbours clueless.

Trishul will be held in the area adjacent to Sir Creek in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Satellite images have been released showing that the airspace up to 28,000 feet has been designated for this. This will be one of the most important joint military exercises in recent times. The Ministry of Defence aims for self-sufficiency and innovation of the three services through this joint operational excellence.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had earlier warned Pakistan to expect a befitting reply if it intended to create any provocation near the Sir Creek area. The warning came following intelligence reports that Pakistan was improving its military facilities in the area adjacent to Sir Creek.

• Sir Creek is an uninhabited marshland between Gujarat and Sindh in Pakistan
• The exercise will start from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan and end at the Kutch coast in Gujarat
• The airspace will be limited to 28,000 feet
• 30,000 soldiers will participate in the 12-day exercise
• T-90S, Arjun tank, Apache helicopters, heavy-lift copters and many other weapons will be tested