'Unprofessional' Pak vessel caused naval collision: Govt rejects Islamabad's charge

India on Friday strongly rejected Pakistan's allegations over a collision between a Pakistani vessel and Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata in the Arabian Sea. New Delhi said it had already summoned the Pakistani Charge d'Affaires on Wednesday and lodged a strong protest over what it called the Pakistan Navy vessel's "unacceptable conduct" that led to the incident.

The government said the collision took place on Tuesday night when the Pakistani vessel closed in on INS Kolkata, which was on a routine surveillance mission in the northern Arabian Sea. Pakistan, however, claimed the incident followed a "highly provocative and unacceptable action" by the Indian vessel in Pakistan's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Responding to Islamabad's statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen Pakistan's response to the protest we had lodged. It is the usual prevarication that we expected. We reject the allegations and insinuations contained therein."

He said INS Kolkata was on a routine deployment in the western Arabian Sea when Pakistani naval ship Hunain behaved in an "unacceptable and unprofessional manner" at sea, resulting in the collision.

Jaiswal said, "The dangerous overtaking manoeuvre by PNS Hunain was in gross violation of Article 10 of the Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements of April 1991, which specifies that naval units at sea are not to be within three nautical miles of each other."

He added that the Pakistani ship also violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

He said Pakistan had once again been advised on the need for all military units to exercise due care and respect the relevant agreements between the two countries so that such incidents are not repeated. Jaiswal also said the incident did not cause any major damage to INS Kolkata and that the warship remains at sea.

The government said that the collision was caused by the Pakistani vessel's conduct, and it has rejected Pakistan's allegations while formally protesting the incident and urging adherence to existing military and maritime rules.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 18, 2026 17:32 IST