New Delhi has summoned Pakistan’s Chargé d’affaires after an incident involving a collision between a Pakistani Navy vessel and an Indian ship. As revealed by the Foreign Ministry, Pakistani diplomat Saad Ahmed Waarich was called in to lodge a strong protest over what New Delhi has called unacceptable and unprofessional conduct by Pakistani naval units in international waters that led to a collision.
In a statement issued on the incident, which took place in international waters and did not cause major damage, the ministry said the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the 1991 agreement between India and Pakistan governing advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements.
“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,” it said.
Besides, the Pakistani diplomat was also instructed to convey the message to his foreign ministry.
“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.An Indian naval warship on routine surveillance in the North Arabian Sea was struck by a Pakistani vessel on the evening of September 15, according to reports citing the defence ministry.
The collision took place roughly 220 kilometres east of Oman, when the Pakistani ship reportedly closed in on the Indian warship and cut across its path. Officials said the vessel had been moving at high speed and manoeuvring recklessly — behaviour the ministry described as “very unprofessional and unsafe” — before the two ships collided.
A similar incident was reported in June 2011, when Pakistani naval ship Babar collided with Indian naval ship Godavari under similar circumstances.