Pakistan Navy Faces Operational Crisis Amidst Growing Indian Maritime Dominance

The Pakistan Navy is grappling with a severe operational crisis in the wake of Operation Sindoor, as a combination of aging vessels, dwindling morale, and limited underwater capabilities underscore a deepening maritime imbalance in the region.

According to intelligence sources and open-source maritime tracking data reviewed by News18, the majority of Pakistan’s primary surface combatants remain docked at the Karachi naval base, with a conspicuous absence from the Arabian Sea—a critical strategic waterway. Analysts attribute this inactivity to systemic shipyard deficiencies, a shortage of critical spare parts, and a crisis in leadership and morale following India’s high-impact retaliatory strikes under Operation Sindoor. These strikes, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeted militant infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

At present, sources confirm that Pakistan has only two operational submarines, while the remainder of its fleet lies inactive, sidelined at naval installations. Compounding the problem, naval training has reportedly been curtailed due to the unavailability of functional vessels. As a result, newly commissioned officers—fresh out of naval academies—are often deployed to ships undergoing prolonged maintenance, leading to an experience gap and diminished readiness across junior ranks.

Military drills and exercises, once a fixture of regional naval activity, have either been deferred or cancelled entirely. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy continues to project power across the Indian Ocean, expanding both its patrol and exercise footprints, effectively treating Pakistan’s maritime zones as uncontested territory, the sources added.

Maintenance Gridlock and Fleet Diversity Challenges

At the core of the Pakistan Navy’s operational inertia lies an aging fleet, including several Type-21 frigates acquired from the Royal Navy in the 1990s. These vessels are well past their service life, demanding frequent, costly maintenance cycles. Spare parts for these platforms—long out of production—have become both scarce and expensive.

Further complicating matters is Pakistan’s fragmented procurement strategy. The naval inventory includes platforms of Chinese, Turkish, American, and British origin—each with distinct technical systems, maintenance standards, and parts requirements. This diversification has overwhelmed Pakistan’s domestic shipyards, particularly at Karachi, where the logistical burden of maintaining a hybrid fleet has created systemic bottlenecks.

Newer Chinese-built Type-054A frigates, inducted between 2021 and 2023, have also encountered significant technical setbacks. These include chronic malfunctions in radar systems and propulsion plants, necessitating frequent returns to the shipyard. However, local repair efforts have been stymied by the absence of proprietary Chinese diagnostic tools and software.

Efforts to establish service partnerships with Chinese defense firms have reportedly been complicated by restrictive technology transfer agreements and steep costs, further straining Pakistan’s already limited defense budget.

Strategic Ramifications

The operational paralysis of the Pakistan Navy carries significant strategic implications for regional security. With much of its surface and subsurface fleet either docked or undergoing repairs, Pakistan’s ability to deter maritime threats and assert influence in the Arabian Sea has been considerably eroded.

In contrast, the Indian Navy—armed with a technologically superior fleet and supported by robust domestic shipbuilding and logistics infrastructure—continues to bolster its strategic depth in the Indo-Pacific. The disparity has not only shifted the regional naval balance in India’s favor but has also curtailed Pakistan’s maritime deterrence posture.

As Pakistan continues to face financial constraints and mounting geopolitical pressure, the challenges confronting its navy are likely to intensify—unless structural reforms, targeted investments, and strategic partnerships are urgently pursued.