Indian Army simulates cross-border offensive in month-long drill

The Indian Army’s Western Command has conducted a large-scale, month-long integrated ground and air exercise involving more than 20,000 personnel, simulating offensive operations across the Pakistan border in Punjab, The Times of India reported.

The exercise, ‘Ram Prahar’, concluded near Haridwar on Saturday. Though held in Uttarakhand — under the Central Command — army officials told TOI the location was chosen because its terrain closely mimics the riverside plains of Punjab. The drill, led by the Ram Division of the Kharga Corps, featured fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, Apache attack helicopters, amphibious armoured vehicles, tanks, drone-based surveillance, and night-time paratrooper operations.

Western Command chief Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar inspected the final phase and told TOI the exercise focused on preparing responses to potential provocations from Pakistan.


“In the recent Operation Sindoor, we delivered a robust response which resulted in extensive damage to Pakistani forces. But we doubt whether it has learnt any lesson,” he said. “If there is another mischief, we are prepared to respond with far greater force, including entering Pakistan from Punjab.”

He added that the Uttarakhand site enabled realistic simulation of riverine obstacles typical to the Punjab sector. “We conduct exercises in operational areas under other commands too to ensure readiness,” he said.

A senior Army officer involved in the drill told TOI that the exercise validated operational agility, multi-domain coordination and real-time decision-making across land, air and cyber domains.

Lt Gen Mohan Bhandari (retd), former deputy director general of military operations during the Kargil War, told TOI that the drill was crucial for evaluating preparedness for the Punjab front.

“Pakistan has constructed numerous canals in Punjab to act as barriers against our armoured and mechanised units. Exercises simulating such conditions enhance operational efficiency because ultimate victory comes under the boots of infantry on enemy land,” he said.

With inputs from TOI