MEA Condemns Unsafe Naval Manoeuvres, Summons Pakistani Charge d’Affaires

India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over a naval collision in international waters involving an Indian Navy vessel and a Pakistani naval unit. The Ministry of External Affairs described the conduct of the Pakistani naval units as “unacceptable and unprofessional”, while stating that the incident did not cause any major damage.

According to sources, the incident occurred on the evening of September 15 in the North Arabian Sea while the Indian warship was carrying out a routine surveillance mission. The Pakistani vessel allegedly approached the Indian naval ship at high speed and manoeuvred in an unsafe manner before the two vessels collided. These details were attributed to sources and were not independently confirmed in the MEA statement.

The MEA said the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements. The agreement forms part of bilateral confidence-building measures intended to reduce the possibility of misunderstandings between the two countries’ military forces.

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India asked Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires to convey to the concerned authorities in Islamabad the need for all military units to exercise due care and respect relevant bilateral agreements. The ministry said this was necessary to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad has also been instructed to lodge a corresponding protest with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The incident comes against a wider backdrop of heightened maritime activity in the region. However, the MEA’s statement on the collision did not link the incident to developments elsewhere in regional waters. The immediate diplomatic response has focused on the circumstances of the collision and India’s assertion that the conduct of the Pakistani naval unit breached agreed protocols.

The latest development follows a previous instance in which India raised concerns over risky manoeuvres by a Pakistani naval vessel involving an Indian warship in the high seas. In 2011, the MEA said it had protested against the conduct of Pakistan Naval Ship Babur, citing navigational safety regulations and Article 10 of the same 1991 agreement.

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