Home Commentaries & Articles India’s Plan for New Air Base in Gujarat Blows Chills in Pak

India’s Plan for New Air Base in Gujarat Blows Chills in Pak

India's
The IAF also plans to use the airbase as a training center for its rookie pilots and for operating its remotely piloted vehicles.
India's
The IAF also plans to use the airbase as a training center for its rookie pilots and for operating its remotely piloted vehicles.

New Delhi: India is planning to set up a new fighter aircraft base at Deesa in Banaskantha district for the IAF in Gujarat. The state already has major fighter bases in Jamnagar in Saurashtra region as well as Bhuj and Naliya in Kutch.

The development comes less than a month after Air Chief BS Dhanoa declared that the IAF is prepared to fight a “short and swift war” at a short notice and that the Indian air force has the capability of striking across the border if the government decides.

Due to increase in economic activities on the Gujarat coastline which includes petroleum refineries and new ports the government has made this decision to maintain a stronger presence in the region.

The IAF also plans to use the airbase as a training center for its rookie pilots and for operating its remotely piloted vehicles. The Air Force has been working to plug gaps in the western sector with Pakistan in the last few years as it started operations from the Phalodi airbase under the southwestern air command a few years ago, as reported by Mail Today.

This move has increased tensions in Islamabad. Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, the Foreign Office spokesman said, Pakistan wants to “engage in a meaningful dialogue” with India and India should respond positively to Pakistan’s proposal for a Strategic Restraint Regime that can serve as the basis for enduring peace and stability in the region.”

On Modi government’s plan to build a new airbase in Gujarat near the Pakistani border, the spokesperson said, “The report about Gujarat provides credibility to the fact that India is fast developing the infrastructure and force configurations to operationalize these military doctrines. Subscribing to such offensive doctrines in a nuclearized region exposes irresponsible behavior.”

In September this year, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that his country’s short-range nuclear weapons can counter India’s ‘Cold Start’ doctrine.

Cold start is a military doctrine that was developed by the Indian Army for use in a possible war with Pakistan. This doctrine involves various branches of the Army conducting offensive operations as part of unified battle groups.