Indian-Pakistan Navy collision in Arabian Sea: India summons Pakistan envoy

New Delhi: India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan after the Pakistan Navy's PNS Hunain collided with an Indian Navy warship in the Arabian Sea, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) calling the conduct of the Pakistani naval units “unacceptable and unprofessional.”

ANI sources identified the Pakistani vessel involved in the incident as PNS Hunain, an offshore patrol vessel of the Yarmook class operated by the Pakistan Navy.

The incident took place on the evening of September 15, when PNS Hunain approached a frontline Indian Navy warship carrying out a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea, according to sources.

The Pakistani naval vessel moved towards the Indian warship at high speed and manoeuvred in what sources described as an “unprofessional and unsafe manner”, resulting in the collision.

No damage was reported in the incident.

India summons Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires

Following the collision, India summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to the Ministry of External Affairs and lodged a formal protest.

The MEA said the incident occurred in international waters and did not cause any major damage. Despite the absence of major damage, India objected to what it described as the conduct of Pakistani naval units during the incident.

The ministry said the conduct was in “direct contravention” of Article 10 of the 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements.

The Pakistani Charge d'Affaires was asked to convey to the relevant authorities in Pakistan the need for military units to exercise due care and respect the provisions of applicable agreements between the two countries.

India said adherence to such provisions was necessary to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.

Indian envoy in Islamabad asked to lodge protest

India has also initiated a diplomatic response through its mission in Pakistan.

The MEA said India's Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad has been instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The collision involving PNS Hunain and an Indian Navy vessel took place in international waters, according to the Indian side. No damage was reported from the incident.

The MEA's protest specifically raised concerns over the conduct of the Pakistani naval units and cited the provisions of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement.

With agency inputs