Pakistan protests Indian navy vessel's EEZ incursion

Delhi's charge d'affaires summoned over 'provocative manoeuvre' by INS Kolkata

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and India on Wednesday lodged tit-for-tat diplomatic protests against each other over a naval incident in the Arabian Sea after vessels from the two countries came into contact during a Pakistani maritime exercise.

The Foreign Office summoned the Indian Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a "strong protest" over what it described as a provocative and unacceptable action by an Indian Navy vessel inside Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on September 15.

According to the Foreign Office, Pakistan Navy has been conducting its biennial exercise, SEASPARK-26, in Pakistan's EEZ since September 1. It said that since September 7, the Indian naval ship INS Kolkata and a helicopter deployed on it had repeatedly attempted to enter the area where the Pakistani exercises were being conducted.

The Foreign Office said INS Kolkata carried out "dangerous and provocative manoeuvres" close to Pakistan Navy vessels despite multiple warnings.

It said the Indian vessel's activities were not a routine deployment but constituted a violation of the 1991 India-Pakistan Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements.

According to the Pakistani account, on September 15, INS Kolkata made a "dangerous change of course" and came into contact with PNS Hunain.

Despite evasive manoeuvres by the Pakistani vessel, a scraping/collision incident occurred with the Indian warship, the Foreign Office said. It added that INS Kolkata subsequently increased speed and left the area.

Pakistan described the incident as highly provocative, saying it could have triggered a serious crisis. The Foreign Office said the Pakistan Navy's "professional and responsible conduct" prevented the situation from escalating further.

"The Charge d'Affaires was asked to convey to the government of India that Pakistan strongly rejects this belligerent Indian action," the Foreign Office said.

Islamabad also said its Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi would lodge a similar demarche with India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Pakistan further called on India to respect bilateral agreements and adhere to responsible conduct, while urging Indian authorities to take immediate measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The Foreign Office said Pakistan's current level of restraint should not be assumed in the face of future provocations.

However, New Delhi offered a sharply different account of the incident.

India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi on Wednesday and lodged what it called a strong protest over the "unacceptable and unprofessional conduct" of Pakistani naval units that led to a collision with an Indian Navy vessel.

According to the Indian account, the incident took place in international waters and did not cause any major damage. Indian officials said a Pakistani naval ship had approached an Indian naval vessel operating on a routine surveillance mission and that its manoeuvring led to the collision.

New Delhi also invoked the same 1991 bilateral agreement cited by Pakistan, saying the conduct of the Pakistani naval vessel was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the agreement.

India asked its Charge d'Affaires to convey to Pakistani authorities the need for all military units to exercise due care and respect the provisions of bilateral agreements to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. India's Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad was also instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

The latest episode comes at a particularly sensitive time for Pakistan-India relations, with the two nuclear-armed neighbours still seeking to manage the fallout from their military confrontation last year.

For now, neither side has announced any military response to the incident. Instead, both governments have chosen the diplomatic channel, with each instructing its diplomat in the other's capital to lodge a corresponding protest.

Pakistan, meanwhile, called on the international community to urge India to refrain from what it described as "irresponsible actions" that could further destabilise South Asia.

The incident nevertheless highlights the risks of close encounters between Indian and Pakistani naval forces operating in the Arabian Sea, where miscalculation or an accident could rapidly acquire a wider diplomatic or military dimension.