New Delhi: India has summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires and lodged a strong protest 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.”
An MEA press release stated that the incident occurred in international waters and did not cause any major damage. It, however, said 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.”
While details are few, sources said the incident took place in the North Arabian Sea on September 15. It is also said to be the second such incident in six months in the Arabian Sea where a Pakistani naval ships is said to have carried out a dangerous manoeuvre against an Indian ship.
While details have not been shared on the type of ships that were involved or how the collision is believed to have taken place, former Naval officials believe that the crash may have been deliberately caused from the Pakistani side. Rear Admiral MD Suresh (Retd.) said that a similar incident happened in 2011 when the PNS Babur a Pakistani Navy frigate hit the INS Godavari at high speed but caused no structural damage or injuries.
Rear Admiral Suresh also said that given there is Channel 16, an international maritime radio channel which is used for distress communication, such incidents do not happen unless it is deliberate. He also adds that the decision to ram the Indian ship must have been taken at a senior level. “I don't know what category the Indian ship is involved in the accident, so therefore we don't know the relative seniority of the captain of the Indian ship. Yes, but since the Pakistani ship's name has been, uh, declared, we know that it's relatively either a senior lieutenant commander or a junior commander.”
Asked why aggressive incidents were rising on the Pakistani side, Rear Admiral Suresh said he believed that Pakistani Navymen were angry after Op Sindoor where they did not take part in the conflict. Asked if it violated maritime laws, he responded: “Maritime law is less relevant here. It's more of something called the rules of the road. Rules of the road determine how two ships will maneuver to keep safe. Basic rules of the road require that no two ships will close each other to less than two miles under good visibility conditions and less than five miles under bad or poor visibility conditions, provided there's enough sea room. But if you're in a narrow sea room, then you will maneuver more carefully.”
Asked what would be the next steps, he said. “The video of the crash would be sent to the MoD and MEA. Given the tone of the statement and the fact that no one was seriously injured, it will all die down.” He added that the incident would be handled purely at the diplomatic level. As per PTI on the evening of September 15, a Pakistani Navy vessel closed in on a frontline Indian Navy warship on a routine surveillance mission in north Arabian Sea at high speed, official sources said. Pakistani vessel Hunain manoeuvred in an unprofessional and unsafe manner, and this led to a collision, they said. Hunain, an offshore patrol vessel, suffered heavy damage in the incident, the sources said.
The Indian warship continued on its assigned task under mission deployment in the region, the sources said, adding that the warship did not suffer any significant damage. The MEA said the Indian Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad has been instructed to lodge a similar protest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.
