‘Unacceptable and Unprofessional’: India Protests Pakistan After Naval Ships Collide in Arabian Sea

NEW DELHI, Sept 16: India summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires Saad Ahmad Warraich on Wednesday to lodge a strong protest over a collision involving a Pakistani Navy vessel and an Indian naval ship in international waters.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs described the conduct of the Pakistani naval unit as “unacceptable and unprofessional,” saying the incident occurred in the North Arabian Sea on Tuesday evening and caused no major damage.

The ministry said the Pakistani vessel’s conduct was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the 1991 agreement between India and Pakistan concerning advance notification of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements.

The Pakistani diplomat was asked to convey to the relevant authorities the need for military units to exercise due care and comply with bilateral agreements to prevent similar incidents.

India also instructed its Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Indian sources, the Pakistani vessel approached a frontline Indian naval warship conducting a routine surveillance mission about 220 kilometers east of Oman. The sources alleged that the Pakistani vessel was travelling at high speed and maneuvering unsafely in rough seas before the collision.

No damage was reported, according to the sources, and the vessels subsequently moved away from each other.

The vessels involved have not been officially identified. Indian sources said the Pakistani ship was believed to be a Hunain-class corvette.

The incident was reportedly the second such collision involving Indian and Pakistani naval vessels. In June 2011, the Pakistani Navy’s PNS Babur and India’s INS Godavari were involved in a similar incident.