Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 16: A Pakistani warship manoeuvring “at high speed in an unprofessional and unsafe manner” grazed past a ship of the Indian Navy some 220 km east of Oman in the evening of Tuesday, sources said on Wednesday.
“The Pakistani Navy ship was aggressive, intimidatory and unprofessional despite sailing in rough seas,” sources said, adding that the Pakistani ship did not slow down before the incident happened.
“The collision occurred on the evening of Tuesday when a Pakistan naval ship came close to a frontline Indian naval warship that was on a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea. The Pakistani vessel manoeuvred at high speed in an unprofessional and unsafe manner, leading to the collision,” sources said. No damage has been reported to the Indian vessel.
“While the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage, the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements of April 1991,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
The exact vessels involved in the incident have not been identified yet, but sources said it was a Pakistani Hunain-class corvette Offshore Patrol Vessel. Following the collision with an Indian Navy warship, the Pakistani Navy vessel returned to port. The ship is learnt to have sustained damage in the collision, sources said, adding the damage to the Pakistani vessel was believed to be substantial.
The incident took place amid Pakistan’s ongoing SEASPARK-2026 naval exercise, which began in Karachi on September 2. The exercise comprised a five-day port phase in Karachi, followed by a two-day sea phase in the North Arabian Sea.
Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan briefed Chief of Defence Staff General NS Rajasubramani on the collision involving the Indian Navy warship in the Arabian Sea. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also been briefed.
According to the Indian side, PNS Hunain came dangerously close to an Indian Navy frontline warship during the maritime exercise on the evening Tuesday. The Pakistani vessel allegedly carried out high-speed, unsafe and unprofessional manoeuvring, resulting in a collision between the two ships.
India has taken up the matter with Pakistan and summoned the Pakistani Charge d’Affaires to lodge a formal protest. The Ministry of External Affairs said the conduct of the Pakistani naval vessel was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the April 1991 India-Pakistan Agreement.
The 1991 bilateral agreement contains provisions concerning advance notification of military exercises and manoeuvres, as well as measures intended to ensure safe conduct and reduce the risk of incidents between the armed forces of the two countries.
India summoned the Charge d’Affaires of Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday and lodged a strong protest over the “unacceptable” and “unprofessional” conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea, which resulted in a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy.
“The Charge d’Affaires of Pakistan was advised to convey to the concerned Pakistani authorities, the need for all military units to observe due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two sides in order to prevent any repeat of such incidents,” the sources said.
The Pakistani diplomat was also directed to further convey India’s message to Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The Charge d’Affaires of India in Islamabad has also been instructed to lodge a similar protest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the statement added.
This was the second such incident. A similar incident was reported on June 16, 2011, when Pakistani Navy vessel PNS Babur and Indian Navy warship INS Godavari reportedly brushed against each other on the high seas in the Gulf of Aden. India had lodged a protest with Pakistan following that incident as well.