New Delhi summoned Islamabad’s charge d’affaires after a Pakistani corvette “grazed” an Indian warship in the northern part of the Arabian Sea
India summoned Pakistan’s envoy in New Delhi on Wednesday after a Pakistani Navy ship collided with an Indian Navy warship, which was on a routine surveillance mission in international waters in the northern part of the Arabian Sea.
The collision took place Tuesday evening after the Pakistani vessel approached the Indian warship at high speed in rough seas, according to Indian media reports citing sources. The Pakistani ship was reportedly maneuvering in “an unsafe and unprofessional manner” when the collision occurred.
No major damage was reported and one report said the Pakistani ship “grazed” the Indian ship. Both vessels moved away after the collision.
The Indian Foreign Ministry lodged a strong protest over what it called the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of Pakistani naval units at sea. It said the Pakistani vessel’s conduct violated a 1991 bilateral agreement on advance notice of military exercises, maneuvers, and troop movements.
Pakistan’s charge d’affaires in New Delhi, Saad Ahmad Warraich, was asked to convey to Islamabad that military units should exercise due care and respect existing bilateral agreements to prevent a repeat of such incidents. The Pakistani diplomat was at the ministry’s Janpath office for around 30 minutes, according to local reports.
India’s charge d’affaires in Islamabad was also instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The vessels involved have not been officially identified. Sources cited by NDTV said the Pakistani ship was a Hunain-class corvette and that the incident occurred around 220 km east of Oman. The Indian vessel was described as a frontline warship.
A similar incident occurred in 2011 when the Pakistani warship PNS Babur brushed past the frigate INS Godavari, damaging its helicopter deck safety netting. Both ships were on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden at the time.
