A Pakistani warship collided with an Indian frontline warship in the Arabian Sea, prompting serious concerns about regional security. The incident occurred just a day ago, and former Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma described the event as ‘unacceptable.’ He warned that such occurrences could escalate into a ‘very dangerous situation.’
India had earlier on Wednesday summoned the most senior Pakistani diplomat to lodge a strong protest over the collision. “For that, the Chargé d’Affaires of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned by the MEA, and a protest has been lodged.
The charge d’affaires of the Pakistan high commission, Saad Warraich, was summoned to the external affairs ministry, and a strong protest was lodged with him over the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea that led to a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy”, the MEA said in a statement. Sharma said the incident was “unacceptable” and displayed “unprofessional conduct by the ships. Last evening, some of their ships came and manoeuvred very dangerously around an Indian naval ship, which is not acceptable to anyone who operates at sea,” Sharma told ANI. “There are rules, regulations, and distances to be kept and maintained between two ships at sea, be it warships or merchant vessels,” he added. The former Navy Captain said such incidents could “lead to a very, very dangerous situation where things can snowball within no time. Sharma said that this had been “made very clear” to the Pakistani envoy. “…We are exercising restraint, and only this time have they been called; a protest has been lodged, and a warning has been given that this will not be accepted by the Indian Navy at all under any condition…,” Sharma said. The ministry of external affairs said the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage. “The Charge d’Affaires of Pakistan was advised to convey to the concerned Pakistani authorities, 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,” the MEA said in a press release after the incident.
