India protests Pakistan warship collision: From 3-nautical-mile rule to advance notice, what the 1991 pact says

MEA says the Pakistani ship breached Article 10 of the 1991 agreement, which also sets 15 to 90 days’ notice for major military exercises

India on Wednesday summoned Pakistan’s seniormost diplomat in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest after the country’s warship collided with an Indian frontline warship in the Arabian Sea.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Saad Warraich, the charge d'affaires of the Pakistan high commission, over “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea that led to a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy”.

On Tuesday evening, a Pakistan Navy vessel closed in at high speed on the Indian warship, which was on a routine surveillance mission in the north Arabian Sea, officials aware of the matter told HT. The Pakistani vessel manoeuvred in an unprofessional and unsafe manner, which led to the collision, they said.

The MEA said the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause “any major damage”, but that the Pakistani ship's conduct was in "direct contravention" of Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements. The article bars ships and submarines of the two navies from coming within three nautical miles of each other in international waters.

The ministry advised Warraich to convey to the Pakistani authorities the need for all military units to observe due care and respect the relevant agreements between the two sides, to prevent any repeat of such incidents. India’s charge d'affaires in Islamabad was also told to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's foreign ministry.