Pakistan Protests Indian Navy Manoeuvre Near Pakistani Vessel

ISLAMABAD, — September 17, 2026 — Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with India over what it described as a “highly provocative and unacceptable” manoeuvre by an Indian Navy vessel inside Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone, after the vessels came into contact during a Pakistani naval exercise. (Pakistan Foreign Office) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the incident occurred on September 15 while the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise, which began inside Pakistan’s EEZ on September 1. Islamabad said the Indian vessel had repeatedly attempted to enter the exercise area since September 7 and carried out dangerous manoeuvres close to Pakistani naval vessels. (Pakistan Foreign Office) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

According to Pakistan’s account, the Indian vessel made a dangerous change of course and came into contact with PNS Hunain despite evasive manoeuvres by the Pakistani ship. Islamabad said the incident violated international law and the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement concerning advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements. (Pakistan Foreign Office) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

India has presented a sharply different account. New Delhi said the incident occurred in international waters and accused a Pakistani naval vessel of approaching an Indian Navy warship at high speed and manoeuvring unsafely, resulting in the collision. India also lodged a diplomatic protest and called for military units to exercise caution and follow bilateral agreements. (Associated Press)

The competing accounts have left responsibility for the collision disputed. Neither government has released an independent account establishing which vessel caused the contact, while both countries have invoked the 1991 bilateral agreement in their diplomatic protests. (Al Jazeera)

The incident has added another sensitive maritime dispute to already strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan has called for adherence to international law and bilateral agreements, while India has demanded greater caution from Pakistani naval units to prevent similar incidents. (Dawn)

For now, both governments have kept the confrontation at the diplomatic level, with each side summoning the other’s diplomat and lodging a formal protest. The disputed collision has nevertheless placed renewed attention on the risks of close encounters between Indian and Pakistani naval forces in the Arabian Sea. (Associated Press) (AP News)