India on Wednesday summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest over the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of Pakistani naval units that resulted in a collision with an Indian Navy vessel in the Arabian Sea.
“The Charge d’Affaires of the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today, and a strong protest was lodged with him over the unacceptable and unprofessional conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea that led to a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy,” the MEA said in a statement.
The Pakistani diplomat, Saad Ahmad Warraich, was reported summoned to the Foreign Ministry’s Janpath office, where he stayed for about 30 minutes.
The ministry clarified that the incident occurred in international waters and did not cause any major damage. The Pakistani diplomat was reported summoned to the Foreign Ministry’s Janpath office, where he stayed for about 30 minutes.
According to reliable sources, the incident took place on the evening of September 15 when a Pakistan Navy ship approached a frontline Indian Navy warship engaged in routine deployment in the North Arabian Sea. The Pakistani vessel, reportedly a corvette, closed in at high speed and manoeuvred in an “unprofessional and unsafe manner,” leading to the collision.
They said the Pakistani warship ‘garzed’ past the Indian vessel approximately 220 kilometers east of Oman.
No damage was reported, but the MEA stressed that 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.”
MEA officials advised the Pakistani Charge d’Affaires to convey to Islamabad the need for its military units to exercise due care and adhere to bilateral agreements to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
The ministry further stated that the Charge d’Affaires of India in Islamabad has also been instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
