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RAS question

Consider the following statements about Operation Trident (1971): 1. It was a surprise missile attack by the Indian Navy on the Pakistani naval headquarters in Karachi. 2. It was one of the earliest successful anti-ship missile attacks in naval warfare. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct answer: (C) Both 1 and 2.

Operation Trident was a surprise Indian Navy missile attack at Karachi during the 1971 India-Pakistan War, and it is counted among the earliest successful anti-ship missile attacks in naval warfare.

  1. (A)

    1 only

  2. (B)

    2 only

  3. (C)

    Both 1 and 2

  4. (D)

    Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

Both statements are correct. Operation Trident was the Indian Navy's surprise missile attack on Karachi on the night of December 4-5, 1971, which sank several vessels and became one of the earliest successful anti-ship missile attacks in naval warfare. The Press Information Bureau account places the operation in this setting: December 4 is observed as Navy Day because, during Operation Trident in the 1971 India-Pakistan War, Indian Navy missile boats successfully fired missiles at Pakistani ships, oil installations and shore-defence installations at Karachi. Many Pakistani ships carrying war-sustenance efforts and critical stores were sunk during the 1971 operations, explaining why the operation is treated as a decisive naval action.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Option A accepts the Karachi surprise missile attack but wrongly rejects statement 2, even though the operation was one of the earliest successful anti-ship missile attacks in naval warfare.
  • (B) Option B accepts the anti-ship missile significance but wrongly rejects statement 1, while Operation Trident was an Indian Navy missile strike at Karachi in 1971.
  • (D) Option D is wrong because neither statement is false: the operation involved Indian Navy missile strikes at Karachi and was an early successful anti-ship missile attack.

Concept

This tests Modern Indian History through the military history of the 1971 India-Pakistan War, especially the naval dimension often marked through Navy Day. RAS asks such topics because they connect national security events with commemorative dates and institutional history.

Source

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