ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (MNN); Pakistan and India have lodged diplomatic protests with each other following a collision between naval vessels in the North Arabian Sea on September 15, with both sides giving sharply different accounts of the location and circumstances of the incident.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Wednesday that it had summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and lodged a strong protest over what it described as a “highly provocative and unacceptable” action by an Indian Navy vessel inside Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to the Foreign Office, the incident occurred while the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial maritime exercise SEASPARK-26. It said the Indian vessel carried out “aggressive manoeuvres” dangerously close to a Pakistani naval ship, resulting in contact between the two vessels.
Pakistan described the incident as a serious violation of international law and the 1991 Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements, saying such incidents could further increase tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Islamabad asked the Indian diplomat to convey Pakistan’s strong rejection of what it termed “belligerent Indian action” and urged New Delhi to strictly observe international law and bilateral arrangements intended to prevent dangerous encounters at sea. Pakistan also said its Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi would lodge a similar demarche with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Pakistan further called on the international community to urge India to avoid actions that, in Islamabad’s view, could destabilise South Asia.
India Gives Contrasting Account
India, meanwhile, summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi and lodged a formal protest over the collision.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the incident occurred in international waters, rather than inside Pakistan’s EEZ. Indian officials said the Pakistani naval vessel PNS Hunain approached an Indian Navy warship at high speed and carried out what India described as unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvres, resulting in a minor collision.
India said the conduct was contrary to Article 10 of the 1991 bilateral agreement, which provides for naval vessels and submarines of the two countries to maintain a minimum separation of three nautical miles while operating in international waters.
Indian reports identified the Pakistani vessel as PNS Hunain, while reports differed over the extent of damage. Some Indian media reports said the Pakistani vessel sustained damage and returned to harbour, whereas India’s official account said there was no major damage.
The Indian government also directed its Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad to lodge a parallel protest with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
Conflicting Accounts Over Location
The central point of disagreement between the two governments is the location and circumstances of the encounter. Pakistan says the incident occurred inside its EEZ during SEASPARK-26, while India says it took place in international waters. The Associated Press also reported the conflicting accounts from the two sides.
The Indian Express reported that the collision occurred in international waters in the North Arabian Sea, while identifying the Pakistani ship as PNS Hunain.
