New Delhi, Sept. 16 -- India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires Saad Warraich and lodged a strong diplomatic protest over what it called "unacceptable and unprofessional" conduct by a Pakistani Navy vessel that resulted in a collision with a frontline Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea. The incident took place in international waters on the evening of September 15 while the Indian vessel was carrying out a routine surveillance mission. According to official sources, the Pakistani vessel, identified as PNS Hunain, approached the Indian warship at high speed and manoeuvred in an unsafe and unprofessional manner, resulting in the collision. Hunain, an offshore patrol vessel, suffered heavy damage, while the Indian warship did not sustain any significant damage and continued its assigned mission in the region. The Ministry of External Affairs said there were no major consequences from the incident.

The MEA said the conduct of the Pakistani naval unit was in breach of Article 10 of the April 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements. The agreement forms part of bilateral confidence-building measures intended to reduce the risk of military incidents.

"While the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage, the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10" of the agreement, the MEA said.

Warraich was advised to convey to the relevant Pakistani authorities the need for all military units to exercise due care and comply with the provisions of the agreements between the two countries to prevent similar incidents.

India has also instructed its Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad to lodge a corresponding protest with Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The incident is the first publicly known military-domain incident between the two countries since the four-day hostilities in May 2025 that followed the Pahalgam terror attack. Although the collision caused no major damage, its occurrence between frontline naval vessels in international waters has added a maritime dimension to the already sensitive security relationship between India and Pakistan.

Media reports identified Hunain as a Yarmook-class vessel. The MEA statement did not name the Pakistani ship or provide details of the damage.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.