Pakistani and Indian Warships Collide in the Arabian Sea

Tensions between Pakistan and India have risen again in international waters. India said that yesterday, a Pakistani Navy warship approached at high speed and collided with an Indian Navy warship conducting a routine surveillance mission in international waters in the Arabian Sea. No deaths or injuries were reported in the incident.

Following the collision, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires to the ministry to lodge a strong protest over what it described as the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of the Pakistan Navy. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the collision did not cause significant damage, but that Pakistan’s conduct was “directly contrary” to the 1991 agreement regulating military exercises, maneuvers and troop movements between the two countries. The agreement stipulates that the warships and submarines of the two countries must remain at least three nautical miles apart in international waters in order to prevent any accidents.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The Pakistani chargé d’affaires was asked to convey to the relevant Pakistani authorities that all military units must exercise due caution and comply with the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two sides in order to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.”

The Ministry of External Affairs also stated that India’s chargé d’affaires in Islamabad had been instructed to lodge a similar protest with the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Pakistani government and military have not yet issued a statement on the matter.

India and Pakistan had downgraded their diplomatic relations to the chargé d’affaires level in 2019 due to the Kashmir dispute.