India and Pakistan summoned each other’s senior diplomats in New Delhi and Islamabad after naval vessels from the two countries collided in international waters in the Arabian Sea.
The collision occurred on Tuesday, with both countries blaming the other for the incident. India and Pakistan also accused each other of breaching a 1991 bilateral agreement requiring advance notification of certain military exercises.
India said the collision caused no significant damage. Pakistan’s official statement, however, did not specify whether its naval vessel sustained any damage.
The incident comes more than a year after the two South Asian neighbours carried out military strikes against each other before subsequently agreeing to a ceasefire.
India said it summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over what it described as the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of the Pakistani naval unit.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the Pakistani diplomat was asked to convey to the relevant authorities that military units must exercise appropriate caution and comply with existing bilateral agreements to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Pakistan, meanwhile, summoned India’s chargé d’affaires in Islamabad on the same day and formally protested what it described as a “highly provocative and unacceptable” action by the Indian naval vessel.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise within the country’s exclusive economic zone when the Indian vessel allegedly carried out “aggressive manoeuvres in dangerously close proximity” to the Pakistani ship.
Islamabad also called on the international community to urge India to avoid actions that could further increase tensions in South Asia. Pakistan maintained that the region could not afford further instability and accused India of pursuing actions that risk escalating conflict.
