Defence Minister Rajnath Singh issues a terse warning to Islamabad: Provoke New Delhi at your own peril!
On 2nd October when India celebrated the festival of Dussehra, the country’s defence minister visited the front lines. Minister Rajnath Singh spent time at the Bhuj Military Station in the western state of Gujarat, bordering Pakistan. He addressed troops guarding the Rann of Kutch, a salt marsh in the Thar Desert, in the Kutch District of the state. At more than 7,500 square kilometres, it is one of the largest salt deserts in the world. He performed a traditional Hindu ritual, called Shastra Puja, blessing the weapons that keep India’s borders safe and then he dropped a bombshell warning to Pakistan.
He said: “During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attempted, unsuccessfully, to undermine India’s defence posture from Leh to the Sir Creek area. Pakistan’s recent buildup of military infrastructure around Sir Creek makes its intentions clear. India’s borders are being guarded by the Army and the B.S.F. together. Should Pakistan undertake any misadventure in the Sir Creek area, it will be met with such a decisive response that it would alter both history and geography.”
Strong words there by the Indian defence minister.
The minister did not stop at that. He harked back to 1965, reminding the adversary that the Indian Army had reached Lahore. He said in the same breath that today, 60 years on, one route to Karachi passes through Sir Creek! Don’t test India’s patience, is what the minister seemed to be telling Pakistan, in a not-so-subtle nudge. If you’re wondering what happened in 1965: That year, tensions boiled over in the Rann of Kutch itself — very close to where Minister Singh visited. Pakistan launched Operation Desert Hawk in April that year, a sneaky probe with tanks and infantry to test India’s defences. India pushed back hard and soon it lit the fuse for a bigger India — Pakistan War in August of that year.
Why did Minister Singh make these remarks?
And why now?
The reasons are not far to seek.
Reports suggest that the Pakistani Army has been ramping up military infrastructure near Sir Creek. Military infrastructure would generally include everything from forward posts and better roads for quick troop movements to, possibly, even fortified bunkers. The reports, which are based on satellite imagery and intelligence, showed that some of the said infrastructure is of recent vintage. Apparently, they popped up only in the last few months after India conducted Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the 22nd April terror attack at Pahalgam. This new infrastructure had been built probably in response to Pakistan’s spectacular failure to push drones and probes from Leh all the way down to Sir Creek in the immediate aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
If Indian military planners are to be believed, Pakistan has been expanding its military presence near Sir Creek for some time now. For instance, the Pakistani Navy maintains a base at Sir Creek for littoral defence and amphibious operations. It includes barracks at Rah-de-Pir, just two kilometres from the creek’s Pakistani bank. Capable of housing dozens of personnel, the barracks are reported to be active. Plans are afoot to deploy additional infantry and amphibious battalions in the region. Pakistan has also bolstered coastal surveillance with offshore patrol vessels, hovercraft and marine assault boats. Its air assets include maritime-patrol aircraft stationed umanaat the nearby Mehran and Karachi bases.
Some of this build-up dates to 2019, when the Pakistani Navy formed the 32nd Battalion amid tensions over Jammu and Kashmir. A similar build-up was recorded in 2023. Reports suggested at the time that Pakistan was upgrading its security infrastructure in the area and deploying drones to monitor Indian activities there.
Get this: Nothing is a coincidence. None of these activities are isolated. They align with broader Pakistani military shifts, including troop redeployments from the Durand Line on the border with Afghanistan to Indian frontiers and upgrades at bases such as Saidu Sharif. Clearly, Pakistan is stirring the pot again. And it has implications for India.
First; security. That marshy, shifting border is a smuggler’s dream — drugs, arms, even terrorists slip through. Remember the 26/11 Mumbai attackers? They had hijacked an Indian fishing boat right off Sir Creek to sneak in. Pakistan’s new infrastructure could make incursions easier, turning a quiet creek into a flashpoint. Also, a fortified Pakistan could enable drone swarms, as seen in May 2025 after India launched Operation Sindoor. Pakistan used Turkish-origin drones to target 36 sites, including Sir Creek.
Second; resources. Untapped oil and gas under that seabed could be worth billions.
And third; it is strategic gold. Sir Creek guards Gujarat’s coast, key for trade routes to the Arabian Sea. Lose ground here, and it affects India’s Naval flank, especially with Chinese activity taking place in the area as part of the so-called China — Pakistan Economic Corridor.
In his address to troops, Minister Singh said that even after 78 years of Independence, Pakistan continues to create disputes over the Sir Creek Sector, despite India’s repeated efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue. A little bit of history would be in order here. Sir Creek is a 96-kilometre tidal estuary snaking through vast, marshy salt flats in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat — home to India’s famous white desert that floods with seawater during monsoons. It empties into the Arabian Sea. It forms the maritime boundary between India’s Gujarat state and Pakistan’s Sindh province.
As for the dispute, it dates back to colonial times. It’s all about where the border runs. India cites the Thalweg Doctrine or Principle to say that the border should run through the centre of the creek in keeping with international rules for navigable waters but Pakistan disagrees.
Now, for argument’s sake, the Pakistani build-up in the area could be described as defensive posturing. But, some analysts say that the Pakistani build-up is not defensive — it screams intent to press claims, maybe even link it to Jammu and Kashmir. And, for a nuclear neighbourhood, that is playing with fire.
Vigilance is of the utmost essence.
India has just finished celebrating Dussehra, a festival of good over evil. One wonders: Will Pakistan back off or is this the calm before another storm?