India and Pakistan summon diplomats after ships collide in international waters

India and Pakistan have summoned each other’s top diplomats in Delhi and Islamabad after two of their naval vessels collided in the Arabian Sea.

Both sides blamed each other for the collision, which happened on Tuesday. They also accused each other of violating a 1991 bilateral agreement that requires either side to give advance notice of military exercises.

While India said the incident did not cause any major damage, the statement released by Pakistan did not make clear whether its vessel was damaged in any way.

The incident comes more than a year after the South Asian neighbours conducted military strikes against each other before agreeing on a ceasefire.

In its statement, India said it had lodged a strong protest with the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistani High Commission in Delhi over what it called “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of the naval unit.

“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,” India’s external affairs ministry said.

On the same day, Pakistan also summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad, lodging its complaint against what it called a “highly provocative and unacceptable” action by India’s naval vessel.

In its statement, Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said that its navy was conducting its biennial exercise, SEASPARK-26, in its exclusive economic zone when the Indian vessel “carried out aggressive manoeuvres in dangerously close proximity” of its ship.

Pakistan also urged the international community to call upon India to “refrain from irresponsible actions that could further destabilise South Asia”, saying that the region could not afford to be held “hostage to India’s reckless pursuit of conflict and instability”.

The Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements – which both sides accuse the other of violating – was signed in 1991, external to prevent “any crisis situation arising due to misreading of the other side’s intentions”.

India specifically accused Pakistan of violating Article 10 of the agreement, which says that the two countries’ naval vessels and submarines must not be closer than three nautical miles from each other so as to avoid accidents while operating in international waters.