Highlights
- Collision occurred in international waters when a Pakistani ship approached an Indian warship at high speed, Indian sources say
- No major damage caused, but incident breaches 1991 agreement requiring a three-nautical-mile distance between naval vessels
- India's diplomat in Islamabad also instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's foreign ministry
INDIA's foreign ministry said on Wednesday (16) it had summoned the top Pakistani diplomat to lodge a strong protest over what it called the "unacceptable and unprofessional conduct" of Pakistani naval units that led to a collision with an Indian warship.
The collision on Tuesday (15) occurred in international waters, where a Pakistani naval ship moved closer to a frontline Indian warship on a routine surveillance mission in the north Arabian Sea at high speed, causing a collision, Indian sources said.
This is the first instance of overt military tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours since they engaged in a fierce, four-day military conflict last year that raised fears of a wider war before a ceasefire was reached.
Breach of 1991 agreement
The impact did not cause any major damage, but Pakistan's conduct was "in direct contravention" of a 1991 agreement between the two countries governing military exercises, manoeuvres, and troop movements, the Indian foreign ministry said.
The agreement mandates that naval ships and submarines of the countries should keep a distance of at least three nautical miles from each other to avoid any accident in international waters.
The Pakistani government and military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The Charge d'Affaires of Pakistan was advised to convey to the concerned Pakistani authorities, the need for all military units to observe due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two sides to prevent any repeat of such incidents," the ministry said in a statement.
The top Indian diplomat in Islamabad was also instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's foreign ministry, it said.
India and Pakistan do not have ambassadors in each other's capitals as they downgraded their diplomatic relations over their Kashmir dispute in 2019, with their missions headed by a Charge d'Affaires since.
India and Pakistan have fought three major wars, two of them over Kashmir, and numerous armed skirmishes since independence from British colonial India in 1947.
