Pakistan protests Indian warship’s ‘provocative’ manoeuvres in Exclusive Economic Zone

Pakistan on Wednesday lodged a strong protest over what it described as “provocative and irresponsible” manoeuvres by an Indian naval vessel in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), saying the incident could have triggered a serious crisis. The Foreign Office said Indian naval vessel INS Kolkata and its onboard helicopter had repeatedly attempted to enter the area where the Pakistan Navy has been conducting Sea Spark 26 exercises since September 1. According to the FO, the Indian vessel and helicopter had been trying to enter the exercise area since September 7, while INS Kolkata carried out “dangerous and provocative” manoeuvres close to Pakistan Navy ships. Read: Two navy personnel martyred “These actions were not routine deployment but a violation of the 1991 bilateral agreement,” the FO said, adding that the Indian vessel continued its manoeuvres despite multiple warnings. The FO said the situation took a more serious turn on September 15 when the INS Kolkata “dangerously changed course” and collided with PNS Hunain. “Despite evasive manoeuvres by PNS Hunain, a scraping incident occurred with the Indian vessel,” it said. The FO added that the INS Kolkata increased its speed and left the area following the incident. It described the Indian vessel’s actions as “highly provocative”, saying they could have triggered a serious crisis while crediting the Pakistan Navy’s “professional and responsible conduct” that prevented the situation from escalating further. The FO said Pakistan viewed the Indian Navy’s violations with “grave concern” and rejected what it called attempts by India to distort facts and escalate the matter diplomatically. The FO said the Indian actions reflected a deliberate attempt to undermine regional peace. Pakistan called on India to respect bilateral agreements and adhere to responsible conduct, while urging Indian authorities to take immediate steps to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. The statement said Pakistan had made clear that the current level of restraint should not be misconstrued in the face of any future Indian provocation. Earlier, India summoned the charge d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi over the incident that led to a collision between their navies in international waters, according to an official statement from New Delhi. 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 Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in the statement. The two nations share the waters of the Arabian Sea. The Pakistani diplomat 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 ministry said, adding that the charge d'Affaires of India in Islamabad was also instructed to lodge a “similar protest” with the FO. India and Pakistan this year marked the first anniversary of their May cross-border conflict, which ended with a ceasefire first announced by US President Donald Trump. The two nuclear-armed nations downgraded diplomatic ties in 2019 after New Delhi removed special status for the Jammu and Kashmir region.