When Karachi Port Burned For Days In 1971 - Courtesy Indian Navy

The Indian Air Force struck the Malir Cantonment located 35 km from Karachi during its 100-hour-long military action - Operation Sindoor. The Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, said India's response to the Pakistani drone and missile attack was "measured and calibrated".

Indian Navy's carrier battle group, which involves an aircraft carrier, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, submarines, and air assets, Vice Admiral AN Pramod said, had been deployed outside the harbour in Karachi to pin down Pakistani maritime forces.

The presence of an aircraft carrier with MiG-29K fighters and Airborne Early Warning helicopters prevented any hostile aircraft from closing in.
Photo Credit: X.com/@indiannavy

The strikes on Malir Cantonment near Karachi and the Navy's forward-deployment in the Arabian Sea brought memories of the 1971 war, when the Indian Navy went on the offensive and decimated the Karachi port.

Navy Ready For The Offensive

In the inevitability of the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, then Chief of Army Staff General Sam Manekshaw gave Prime Minister Indira Gandhi a paper on which he wrote December 4 - the date on which India would go to war with Pakistan. On December 3, Pakistan bombed nine Indian airfields, and the war broke out.

The Indian Navy, under the command of Admiral SM Nanda, emerged as a pivotal force in the liberation of East Pakistan. India's maritime force operated in two theatres - Eastern and Western - and ensured a naval blockade to break the link between East and West Pakistan.

Admiral Nanda ensured the Navy adopted an aggressive posture. He was aware of the effect the Indian Navy would have on the outcome of the war. After air, the only connectivity between East and West Pakistan was through the sea. Bombing Karachi meant breaking the link and rendering Pakistani troops in the east defenceless. In the east, INS Vikrant was ready to take on the Pakistan Navy in the Bay of Bengal. 

Admiral Nanda ensured a full naval blockade in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
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Operation Trident

The armed forces had been preparing for the war for months. After the air raids by Pakistan, orders were dispatched to the Western Naval Command (WNC) for 'Operation Trident'. Vice Admiral SN Kohli (Later Admiral) was the Flag Officer C-in-C of the WNC, and orders were given to dispatch the Naval fleet in Mumbai and Okha. The plan was to bomb the Karachi port.

The 'Karachi Strike Group' from the 25th Missile Boat Squadron, also known as the 'Killer Squadron', consisted of two Petya-class ships - Katchal and Kiltan - and three missile boats - INS Nirghat, Nipat, and Veer. One missile boat was stationed at the Dwarka port to provide cover. The missile boats were armed with four Russian Styx Surface-to-Surface missiles each.

Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, the Killer Squadron's commanding officer, was ordered to dispatch for an offensive on Karachi port. The plan was to attack Karachi port on December 3, but the air raids by Pakistan occurred in the evening, making it difficult to launch an operation on the same day; therefore, D-day was changed to December 4.

Styx - an anti-ship missile developed by the Soviet Union - was fired during Operation Trident.

The Petyas were tasked to accompany the missile boats with their suitable radar, provide better targets, and tow a boat in case of an emergency. Before the war, the Pakistan Navy created a 75-mile (120 km) demarcation line for all merchant ships bound for Karachi and ordered them not to operate in that zone between sunset and dawn, and any boat picked up on radar would be a Pakistani boat on patrol.

When the 'Killer Squadron' strike group reached 112 km south of Karachi, a target was identified northwest at a range of 70 km, and another target was spotted by the radar almost 68 km northeast. The strike group identified them as warships and Styx missiles, with a range of 75 km, that were prepared for launch.

INS Nirghat engaged the target in the northwest and fired two Styx missiles. The Styx destroyed PNS Khaibar. INS Nipat fired two missiles and sank a merchant ship, MV Venus Challenger, which was reportedly loaded with arms for the Pakistani army. INS Veer destroyed PNS Muhafiz, a coastal minesweeper.

In his book Transition to Triumph, Vice Admiral GM Hiranandani gives an analyzed account of the operation. When the strike group started closing in towards Karachi, INS Nirghat's radar mistook anti-aircraft tracer shells fired as aircraft, which created confusion and fear of a Pakistani air raid.

A Times of India story on the Indian Navy's Operation Trident
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Karachi Port On Fire

Commander BB Yadav onboard INS Nipat fired his remaining Styx missiles at the Kemari oil refinery and set it on fire. The attack was successful, and no loss was reported. It was the finest hour in the history of the Indian Navy. Four days later, Operation Python was the last nail in the coffin. INS Vinash, Talwar, and Trishul sank PNS Dacca, damaged MV Harmattan and MV Gulf, and the Kemari oil refinery burned for days. Pakistan Navy's presence on the western front was in ashes, and India had complete maritime dominance.

Commander Babru Bhan was the commanding officer of the 25th Missile Boat Squadron

For the first time, anti-ship missiles were used in the region. Commander Babru Bhan Yadav was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his gallant action, and the Navy celebrates December 4 as 'Navy Day' to honour the battle.

His citation read:

Commander Babru Bahan Yadav was the Squadron Commander of a division of ships which formed part of the Task Group of the Western Fleet, ordered to carry out an offensive sweep on the enemy coast of Karachi on the night of 4th/5th December, 1971. Notwithstanding the threat of enemy air, surface and submarine attack, the officer led his division of ships deep into the enemy waters and encountered two groups of large enemy warships. Despite the heavy gunfire from the enemy destroyers and at great risk to his ships and personnel, Commander Yadav led his Squadron towards the enemy in a swift and determined attack. As a result, two enemy destroyers and one Mine sweeper were sunk.

In this operation, Commander Babru Bahan Yadav displayed conspicuous gallantry and leadership of a high order in the best traditions of the Indian Navy.

The bombing of Karachi port and the oil refinery resulted in the loss of around $3 billion to Pakistan and a massive shortage of oil for Pakistani aircraft. It also cut the Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) between East and West Pakistan and blocked any supply of US weapons to Pakistan via Karachi.

The destruction of Karachi port and India's complete air superiority in the Bay of Bengal meant complete isolation of Dacca (now Dhaka). The Pakistan Navy was not able to deliver supplies to its men in the east, and a no-fly zone for Pakistani jets over India meant enemy troops in the east were left to fend for themselves.