India summons Pakistan CDA, lodges strong protest over naval collision in Arabian Sea

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Pakistani Charge d'Affaires was summoned to the MEA and conveyed India's strong protest over the incident.

The Charge d'Affaires of the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in New Delhi 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 in a statement.

The ministry said the incident occurred in international waters and did not cause any major damage. However, it 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.

The Pakistani Charge d'Affaires was advised by the MEA to convey to the concerned authorities in Pakistan the need for all military units to exercise due care and respect the provisions of relevant agreements between the two countries to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.

The ministry also said the Charge d'Affaires of India in Islamabad had been instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"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," the statement added.

According to sources, the incident took place on the evening of September 15 when a Pakistan Navy ship approached a frontline Indian Navy warship conducting a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea.

The Pakistani naval vessel closed in at high speed and manoeuvred in an unprofessional and unsafe manner, leading to the collision, the sources said.

No damage was reported from the incident. (ANI)