Followed a collision incident between Pakistan and Indian Navy in international waters of the north Arabian Sea, Pakistan has summoned India’s top diplomat in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest.
Follow Times of Karachi on Google News and add as a preferred Source on Google
Pakistan’s foreign ministry conveyed its disapproval over what it called highly provocative and unacceptable action by an Indian navy vessel.
According to Pakistan’s foreign ministry, the Indian vessel carried out aggressive manoeuvres in dangerously close proximity to a Pakistani naval ship.
The Pakistani ship was participating in biennial exercises at the time. The Pakistan India naval collision protest was formally registered with the Indian High Commission’s charge d’affaires.
Pakistan has rejected India’s version of events and its accusations against Pakistani naval units. The charge d’affaires was asked to convey to the Indian government that Pakistan completely rejects the Indian action.
Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi will lodge the same demarche with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
This is the first overt military tension between the two nuclear-armed neighbours since their four-day conflict last year.
Both sides have blamed each other for the incident that occurred on Tuesday. The Pakistan India naval collision protest marks a serious escalation in maritime tensions.
India claims the collision occurred when a Pakistani naval ship moved closer to an Indian warship at high speed. Indian media allege the impact did not cause major damage but violated a 1991 agreement. That agreement mandates naval ships maintain a distance of at least three nautical miles in international waters.
Pakistan maintains its naval ship was conducting routine exercises when the Indian vessel approached aggressively.
The 1991 agreement requires both countries to respect each other’s maritime space. Pakistan has called for due care and respect for relevant agreements to prevent any repeat of such incidents.
India and Pakistan do not have ambassadors in each other’s capitals. Diplomatic relations were downgraded over the Kashmir dispute in 2019, with missions headed by charge d’affaires since. The arch-rivals have fought three major wars since independence in 1947.
