India summons Pakistani diplomat after naval collision in Arabian Sea

September 16, 2026 at 02:53 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

India summoned Pakistan's charge d'affaires in New Delhi on Wednesday to protest a collision between the two countries' naval vessels in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs accused Pakistan of violating a 1991 bilateral agreement requiring warships to keep at least three nautical miles apart in international waters. Pakistan's government has not commented on the incident.

Key Facts

The collision occurred on the evening of September 15 in international waters of the Arabian Sea, according to Indian sources.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs described the Pakistani naval conduct as "unacceptable and unprofessional".
The 1991 bilateral agreement requires Indian and Pakistani warships and submarines to remain at least three nautical miles apart in international waters.
India also instructed its charge d'affaires in Islamabad to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's foreign ministry.
India and Pakistan have fought three major wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them centred on the Kashmir dispute.

The Collision

The incident took place on the evening of September 15 in international waters of the Arabian Sea, according to Indian sources. A Pakistani naval vessel approached an Indian frontline warship at high speed during a routine surveillance mission, and the two ships collided after a manoeuvre. No serious damage was reported in the collision. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday that a Pakistani naval ship had collided with an Indian warship in international waters the previous day.

Diplomatic Protest

India summoned Pakistan's charge d'affaires at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi to lodge a formal protest. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs accused Pakistan's navy of "unacceptable and unprofessional conduct" leading to the collision. New Delhi argued that the Pakistani ship's movement violated the 1991 agreement governing military exercises, manoeuvres, and unit movements between the two countries. India's charge d'affaires in Islamabad was also instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's foreign ministry. Pakistan's government and military made no public statement on the incident in the initial phase.

Bilateral Context

The 1991 agreement requires Indian and Pakistani warships and submarines to remain at least three nautical miles apart in international waters to prevent accidents. Diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan were downgraded to the charge d'affaires level in 2019 over the Kashmir dispute, so both capitals are currently represented by charge d'affaires rather than ambassadors. India and Pakistan have fought three major wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947, two of which centred on the Kashmir dispute. The latest incident is one of the most notable direct military tensions between the two countries since the four-day intense military clash in May 2025, which ended in a ceasefire after dozens of deaths.