Denied permission by Colombo, Chinese submarine head to Karachi

After being refused permission to dock at Colombo, the Chinese submarine is most likely to head towards Karachi in Pakistan. India is keeping a close watch on the movement of the submarine which is making its way towards Karachi.

The movement of the submarine is being picked up by the Indian Navy's Poseidon-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. The Navy has tracked seven Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean Region between Devember 2013 and February 2014.

There have been two Chinese submarines, nuclear one alternating with a diesel-electric one coming for



three months each into the IOR every year. These submarines usually come through the Malacca Strait and then exit through the Sunda Strait.

It may be recalled that ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka, permission had been denied for a Chinese submarine to dock. This was considered to be a major victory for India. India had raised concerns over the docking of the Chinese submarine at Sri Lanka several times. It was said that the docking of the Chinese submarine in Sri Lanka was aimed at gathering information about India's strategic assets.