India has summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi after a Pakistani naval unit collided with a unit of the Indian Navy in international waters. India's Ministry of External Affairs said on September 16 that it lodged a strong protest over what it called the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of the Pakistani naval units.

According to Indian Navy sources, on the evening of September 15, a Pakistan Naval Ship closed a frontline Indian Naval warship on a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea at high speed, manoeuvring in an unprofessional and unsafe manner. It is confirmed that no damage had been reported.

The MEA also noted that the incident did not cause any major damage. However, it said the Pakistani ship’s conduct was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the April 1991 India-Pakistan agreement on advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements.

A similar incident occurred in 2011 when the Pakistan Navy warship PNS Babur collided with the INS Godavari damaging the Indian ship’s helicopter nets. The Pakistani vessel was decommissioned in 2015.

India asked Pakistan to ensure that its military units follow relevant bilateral agreements and exercise due care at sea. India has also instructed its Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.

Savio Rodrigues

Savio Rodrigues is a Research Analyst at Escape Velocity MediaWorks Pvt Ltd and writes for Chakra News on Defence, Geopolitics, National Security. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Mumbai.