Chinese Submarine Docked in Karachi ?

 

China had made similar visits to Colombo over the last one year, sparking further concerns in the Indian security establishment. 

 

According to India Today, China's Yuan Class 335 submarine crossed the Arabian Sea and entered Karachi port on May 22. The submarine with at least 65 crew members reportedly spent at least a week in Karachi refuelling and restocking before sailing back to China. The incident took place less than a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's wrapped up Beijing trip.

 

Observers say that this could be China's practising long-range deployments of its nuclear and conventional submarines on the pre-text of anti-piracy patrols. 

 

Times News Network (TNN) reports that this is described as “yet another indicator of the fast transformation of the People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N), which operated close to its shores for long, into a "blue-water force with long legs" that is expanding its presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).” 

 

Though India has been closely tracking this increased activity of Chinese warships and submarines in the IOR, it can do little since international waters or the "global commons" are open to all.

 

According to a New York-based Council on Foreign Relations report, Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear programme in the world. Its arsenal, built with the help of Chinese technology, stands at between 100 and 120 warheads, compared with China's 250 and India with between 90 and 100.