INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A plan to hold a military exercise between the navies of Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the strategic waters of Trincomalee was shelved a few
weeks back, after New Delhi conveyed its concerns to Colombo over the proposed drills, multiple sources have said.Trincomalee is situated on
interests.The sources said the navies of the two countries had planned to carry out the exercise off Trincomalee, in line with their regular
engagements.The plan did not go through after India apprised its apprehensions over the exercise to the Sri Lankan side, they told PTI.The
importance for India, said it has the potential to dominate the Bay of Bengal and much of the northeast Indian Ocean, and New Delhi was
has reasons to have concerns over any visit by Pakistani warships to Trincomalee, said one of the experts.The docking of Chinese missile and
Chinese warship docked at the Colombo port in August 2023 had also triggered some concerns in New Delhi.In the last few years, India has
a broader aim to help the island nation achieve energy security and fuel its economic growth.Significantly, India and Sri Lanka also signed
a defence pact to institutionalise military cooperation following talks between Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.The
agreement on defence cooperation signals a major attempt to boost the India-Sri Lanka defence ties, nearly four decades after the Indian
maritime surveillance aircraft to Sri Lanka.The aircraft was given to Sri Lanka from the inventory of the Indian Navy to help the country
meet its immediate security requirement.Source: PTI--Agencies
