OMM Redaksiyası
Pakistan and India have exchanged diplomatic protests after naval vessels from the two countries collided in the northern Arabian Sea.
The incident occurred on Sept. 15 during Pakistan’s two-year “SEASPARK-26” naval exercise. Pakistan said an Indian naval vessel carried out “aggressive maneuvers at dangerously close range” to a Pakistani ship, resulting in contact between the vessels.
India rejected that account, saying the collision was caused by the maneuvers of the Pakistani naval vessel.
On Wednesday, Pakistan summoned the chargé d’affaires at India’s High Commission in Islamabad to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed a strong protest. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry described the incident as “highly provocative and unacceptable” conduct by an Indian Navy vessel in Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone.
Pakistan said the incident constituted a serious violation of international law and of the 1991 bilateral agreement on advance notification of military exercises, maneuvers and troop movements.
India also summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in New Delhi and lodged a protest. India described the conduct of the Pakistani naval unit as “unacceptable and unprofessional.”
According to India, the incident took place in international waters, no significant damage was reported, and the Pakistani vessel approached an Indian naval ship conducting a routine surveillance mission.
The 1991 agreement was signed as a confidence-building measure between the two countries and was intended to reduce the risk of military activities being misinterpreted and escalating into confrontation. Article 10 applies to naval vessels and submarines operating in international waters and requires vessels from the two countries to remain at least three nautical miles apart to prevent the risk of accidents.
Both governments are currently citing that provision. Pakistan says the Indian vessel violated the agreement through its maneuvers, while India says the Pakistani vessel’s conduct directly contravened Article 10.
The parties also disagree over the location of the incident. Pakistan says the collision occurred in its exclusive economic zone, while India says the area was international waters. An exclusive economic zone gives a coastal state special rights over resources and certain jurisdiction, but differs from territorial waters.
The incident is being viewed as the first overt military tension between the two nuclear-armed neighboring countries since a four-day military conflict in May 2025 that ended with a ceasefire. The current response from both sides has remained at the diplomatic level.
