High-Seas Standoff: Pakistan Raises Maritime Security Concerns After INS Kolkata-PNS Hunain Incident

The confrontation culminated on September 15 in a physical encounter between the two warships

In a diplomatic escalation, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a strong protest against India, alleging a serious violation of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by the Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata. According to statements from the Foreign Office in Islamabad, the Indian guided-missile destroyer engaged in provocative manoeuvres within Pakistan’s maritime zone, directly interfering with the Pakistan Navy’s ongoing biennial exercise, SEASPARK-26, which has been underway since September 1. Pakistan also summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a strong protest.

Pakistani officials stated that the intrusion began on September 7, when INS Kolkata and its shipborne helicopter repeatedly attempted to enter the designated naval exercise area. Despite multiple warnings transmitted by Pakistani units, the Indian vessel allegedly maintained a hazardous posture in breach of the 1991 bilateral Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements. Rejecting India’s assertion that the operation was a routine deployment, Islamabad characterised the actions as a deliberate effort to undermine regional maritime stability and security protocols.