INDIA on Wednesday lodged a strong protest with the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission after a Pakistani naval ship’s action at sea led to a collision with an Indian Navy unit, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) terming the action “unprofessional and unacceptable”. According to sources,theincident took place on the evening ofSeptember15whenaPakistan Naval Ship closed a frontline Indian Naval unit on a routine surveillancemissionin theNorth Arabian Sea at high speed, manoeuvring in an “unprofessionalandunsafemanner”,leading to the collision. No damage hasbeenreportedin theincident. Pakistan’s envoy was summoned to theMinistryofExternal Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, wheretheincidentwascriticised. In a statement, the MEA said, “The Charge d’Affaires of the HighCommission fortheIslamic RepublicofPakistaninNewDelhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today and a strong protest was lodged 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.”

 

The MEA said the incident, which tookplaceininternational waters, did not cause any major damage, but the Pakistani naval ship’s conductwas 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. According to the Ministry, the Charged’AffairesofPakistanwas asked toconvey totheconcerned Pakistani authorities that allmilitary units should exercise due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two nations. “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,” the MEA mentioned in a statement. “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,” it added.