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Navy orders 20 ships back to harbour

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

About 20 Indian naval ships, including the carrier battle group led by INS Viraat, are returning to the Mumbai harbour from the outer seas as part of India's diplomatic measures in response to Pakistan's assurance to end cross-border infiltration.

According to a senior naval officer, Indian navy issued 'necessary orders' on Tuesday for the ships to end their aggressive posturing against Pakistan and to 'return to harbour'.

He said that warships would be returning to the Mumbai coast in the 'next couple of days'.

Indian navy had deployed about 20 of its battleships, including the carrier battle group led by INS Viraat in an offensive posture. The ships were on a high alert, fully armed and carrying out regular patrolling in the outer seas.

Besides Viraat, India's powerful destroyers belonging to the Delhi class, and other ships were also on the prowl in the outer seas, few hours away from the Karachi port.

To beef up India's naval posture along the western front, five battleships from the Eastern Fleet were also rushed to the Western Fleet after the May 14 Kaluchak massacre. The naval officer said, "A decision on return of the Eastern Fleet ships to Vizag (original base of Eastern Fleet) would be taken in due course."

As of now the five Eastern Fleet ships would remain part of the Mumbai-based western fleet, he added.

"India's aggressive naval posture was visible to the 40-odd warships of the International Coalition against Terrorism, which was stationed off Karachi coast," he said.

"Our withdrawal too is visible to them," the naval officer added, arguing that the step was part of India's overall strategy to assure international community that India was serious about peace.

However, the navy would continue to maintain 'its state of alertness'.

According to a Ministry of Defence official, a decision on other matters of military deployment, such as leaves of military personnel, would be taken in due course.

On Monday, India also lifted the ban on Pakistani commercial aircraft flying over Indian territories. As part of the ongoing diplomatic steps in response to Pakistan's assurance to US and rest of the world to end cross-border infiltration, India is also thinking of sending back its high commissioner to Islamabad.

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