An onerous task

Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard have always been stepping up their vigil policing in the Indian Ocean ever since maritime boundaries are being threatened with piracy, gun-running and drug trafficking. Equal focus is also maintained in the aftermath of China intensifying its naval activities from the South China Sea, Malacca Straits and in the Indian Ocean as part of its strategy of encircling through a string of pearls threatening the Indian Ocean territorial waters. Chinese nefarious designs of collaborating with Pakistan in its pursuit of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also poses a real threat in the region. Though Bangladesh is no threat to India, yet China is in the process of providing it with submarines thus implying it is keen on affiliating with every country in the South Asian neighbourhood to have its distinct maritime footprint. This holds good for Sri Lanka too where Hambanthota deep seaport was eyed by China prompting India to embark on vigorous diplomatic activity to wean Sri Lanka from the bonhomie it was trying to enter with China.

Meanwhile, in an encouraging and positive maritime-related development, India very recently (November 27-28) carried out a joint exercise with Sri Lanka and the Maldives at the behest of the Colombo Security Conclave. Importantly, the freshly conducted exercise was primarily aimed at straightening of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and enhanced interoperability amongst the three navies as part of the Trilateral Focused Operations. It may be recalled that at a meeting of three National Security Advisors (NSAs) held in November last year, such activities commenced after thoughtful deliberations at the initiative of Indian NSA, Ajit Doval. What is considered significant of this momentous initiative is to be visible in maritime surveillance, patrolling of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) mainly to counter narcotics' trade and smuggling of arms through sea routes, search and rescue operations at sea, enhancing effective communication etc. In August this year, the Deputy NSAs of these countries had met to address the maritime security challenges threatening the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, the western Indian Ocean remains active with ripples calling for a more stepped up vigil. As many as eight suspected Iranian nationals were arrested by the Seychelles Coast Guard and it led to the seizure of contraband narcotics worth USD 1,60,000. This was formally disclosed (November 28) by the National Information Sharing and Coordination Centre. This operation was carried out in close coordination with Seychelles Coast Guard, Seychelles Peoples' Defense Forces and the Seychelles Police Force. An intense investigation delving deeply into the source of information leading to the arrests and the seizures is on. It also looks for the involvement of a larger syndicate with global nexus. Such a critical breakthrough would mean that the intelligence and tip-offs have not dried up. Joint intelligence-sharing could help the maritime security professionals to further contain the rising menace of drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean.

In the meantime, French Embassy in Seychelles gave out a seizure of 378 kilograms of pure heroin by the French Navy during a specific vigilance led patrolling in the western Indian Ocean as part of Seychelles and France's joint operations on maritime security to control the drug menace in the region. Again, such an activity would mean that component of actionable and specific intelligence was involved in such operations. These should act as deterrence to the potential drug traffickers. It's anyone's guess that money generated by such smuggling syndicates and gangs goes to promote terrorism and we have evidenced these in good measure not only in South Asia but in the continent of Africa as well which has seen in recent times a marked spike in cases of religion driven terrorism which has afflicted Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, most recently Uganda etc.

In this context, it's worth a mention that with the peaking of sea piracy in the Indian Ocean around the 2010s, things seemed like slipping out of control but it was brought under control somehow with huge ransom being paid to the perpetrators who were mostly from Somalia's Al Shabab with close connections with Al Qaeda. A commercial programme by a private enterprise comprising retired Sri Lankan Naval veterans launched introducing floating armoires in the Indian Ocean was claimed to bring down cases of piracy but one can't be sure of singular role. Pirates were so desperate and full of misadventures, that they reached well within the Indian shores notwithstanding the presence of the Coast Guard. However, things have changed now as the Indian Navy and Coast Guard are carrying out several joint operations with many Indian Ocean states. This momentum shouldn't lose its steam to ensure that maritime security challenges are adequately addressed. There are disquieting news reports of some malpractices within the Indian Coast Guard. If true, such rot needs to be got rid of at the earliest so that it's professionally efficient and geared to neutralize the maritime threats in association with the Indian Navy and other partners of the region committed to keeping the Indian Ocean safe from any kind of breach. The task is onerous as the waters are vast to be patrolled and policed yet it's a challenge worth meeting.

The writer is a retired IPS officer, a security analyst and a former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Mauritius. Views expressed are personal