World · India Bureau
India Blames Pakistan Ship for Arabian Sea Collision with Navy Vessel
New Delhi has rejected Islamabad's allegations over a collision between a Pakistani vessel and an Indian Navy warship in the Arabian Sea, accusing the Pakistani ship of executing dangerous manoeuvres. The incident has triggered a diplomatic row between the two countries.
LSN India ·
India on Friday strongly rejected Pakistan's allegations regarding a collision between a Pakistani vessel and an Indian Navy warship in the Arabian Sea, asserting instead that the neighbouring country's ship conducted dangerous and reckless manoeuvres that caused the incident.
The collision occurred on Tuesday night after the Pakistani vessel closed in on an Indian Navy frontline warship that was conducting routine surveillance in the north Arabian Sea. New Delhi summoned Pakistani charge d'affaires Saad Warraich on Wednesday and lodged a formal diplomatic protest over the incident.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry subsequently summoned Indian charge d'affaires Satyanjal Pandey and alleged that aggressive manoeuvres by the Indian warship had triggered the collision. However, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected these claims at a media briefing on Friday, stating that the Pakistani vessel violated the 1991 bilateral agreement governing naval conduct in the region. Under the accord, naval vessels from both nations are required to maintain a safe distance from each other.
The incident marks the latest flashpoint in maritime operations between the two neighbours in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Both countries have maintained contrasting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the collision, with each blaming the other for the dangerous manoeuvre.