India, Pakistan Navy ships collide, New Delhi registers protest

The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday summoned the Pakistani charge d’affaires in Delhi to register a “strong protest” about the collision of a Pakistani naval vessel with an Indian Navy ship.

The incident occurred in international waters in the Arabian Sea, the ministry said. It was not immediately clear when the collision took place and what caused it.

New Delhi said that the conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea was “unacceptable and unprofessional”.

The ministry said that while the collision did not cause major damage to the Indian ship, the conduct of the Pakistani vessel contravened a 1991 bilateral agreement under which advance notices are provided about military exercises, manoeuvres and the movement of soldiers.

The Pakistani charge d’affaires was asked to convey New Delhi’s concerns to Islamabad, “the need for all military units to observe due care and respect” bilateral agreements to prevent a repeat of the incident, the ministry said.

The Indian charge d’affaires in Islamabad was also told to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, New Delhi said.

Both countries’ diplomatic missions have been led by chargés d’affaires instead of the high commissioners after Pakistan downgraded its ties with India in August 2019 over New Delhi’s decision to abrogate the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Written by Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by...

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