New Delhi: India on Friday dismissed Pakistan’s allegations over a naval collision in the Arabian Sea, saying the incident was caused by an unsafe manoeuvre by a Pakistani warship and not by the Indian vessel., PTI reported.
The collision took place on Tuesday night when Pakistani naval ship PNS Hunain allegedly moved too close to the Indian Navy’s INS Kolkata, which was carrying out a routine surveillance operation in the western Arabian Sea, according to the Indian account.
Diplomatic Protests Exchanged
India summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires, Saad Warraich, on Wednesday and lodged a formal diplomatic protest. Pakistan later called in India’s chargé d’affaires, Satyanjal Pandey, and accused the Indian warship of making “aggressive” manoeuvres that led to the collision.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal rejected Islamabad’s version of events during a media briefing.
“We have seen Pakistan’s response to the protest we had lodged. It is the usual prevarication that we expected. We reject the allegations and insinuations contained therein,” he said.
Jaiswal said INS Kolkata had been deployed on a routine mission when PNS Hunain carried out what he described as an “unacceptable and unprofessional” manoeuvre.
“Let me reiterate the facts of the matter. INS Kolkata was on a routine deployment in the western Arabian sea when Pakistani Naval ship Hunain conducted itself in an unacceptable and unprofessional manner at sea that resulted in a collision,” he said.
India Cites 1991 Agreement
The spokesperson said the Pakistani ship’s “dangerous overtaking manoeuvre” breached Article 10 of the April 1991 agreement between India and Pakistan concerning advance notification of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements.
The provision requires naval units operating at sea to remain at least three nautical miles apart. Jaiswal also accused PNS Hunain of violating international regulations intended to prevent collisions at sea.
“The Pakistan side has once again been advised about the need for all military units to observe due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two sides in order to prevent any repeat of such incidents,” he said.
Jaiswal identified INS Kolkata as a stealth guided-missile destroyer and said the vessel had suffered no “major damage”. It remained operational and at sea, he added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, however, maintained that the collision followed a “highly provocative and unacceptable action” by the Indian warship inside Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone.
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