The Ministry of External Affairs of India summoned on Wednesday the chargé d'affaires of Pakistan to convey a formal complaint about the "unacceptable and unprofessional" conduct of Pakistani naval units after the collision between an Indian vessel and a ship of its Navy in the waters of the Arabian Sea.
According to the Indian ministry explained in a statement, the incident took place in international waters and did not cause significant damage, but the behavior of the Pakistani vessel directly violated Article 10 of the bilateral agreement signed in April 1991 between India and Pakistan regarding prior notices of military exercises, maneuvers, and troop movements.
Indian authorities have emphasized to the Pakistani diplomat "the need for all military units" to act "with due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between both parties to prevent similar incidents from recurring."
Furthermore, the Ministry has pointed out that "the chargé d'affaires of India in Islamabad has also been instructed to present a similar protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," thus reiterating its displeasure over what happened.
Hours later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan responded by summoning the Indian chargé d'affaires in Islamabad, to whom it conveyed "a strong protest against a highly provocative and unacceptable action" attributed to an Indian Navy vessel in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
In its own official note, Islamabad detailed that "while the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial exercise SEASPARK-26, the Indian vessel carried out aggressive maneuvers at a dangerously close distance to a Pakistani naval vessel, resulting in contact between both vessels."
The Pakistani Ministry added that this episode "constitutes a serious violation of International Law and the bilateral agreement of 1991," in addition to "posing the risk of exacerbating tensions in the region." "The chargé d'affaires has been asked to convey to the Government of India Pakistan's firm rejection of this warlike action," it emphasized.
Pakistani diplomacy has also demanded from New Delhi that "strictly comply with International Law and bilateral agreements, particularly those aimed at preventing incidents at sea."
In its message, Islamabad has gone further by stating that "Pakistan urges the international community to ask India to abandon its belligerent stance and refrain from irresponsible actions that could further destabilize South Asia," insisting that the region "cannot afford to continue being a perpetual hostage to India's reckless pursuit of conflict and instability."
The incident occurred on the night of September 15, when a vessel of the Pakistani Navy dangerously approached an Indian warship that was carrying out a routine mission in the northern Arabian Sea, about 220 kilometers east of Oman.
According to sources cited by the newspaper 'The Times of India', the Pakistani ship was sailing at high speed and executing maneuvers considered "unprofessional and unsafe," although ultimately no material damage or casualties occurred.
The incident is framed in a context of deteriorated bilateral relations. Since 2019, neither of the two countries has maintained an ambassador in the capital of the other, after the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to withdraw the special status of the region of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India, which led to a diplomatic break with Pakistan.