Pakistan, Indian Navy ships come head-on in international waters: What we know

India on Wednesday summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in New Delhi was to the Ministry of External Affairs, lodging strong protest over “unprofessional” conduct of Pakistan naval units that led to a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy.

The MEA said in a statement on Wednesday that the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage. However, the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10 of the Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements of April 1991, the MEA said.

What exactly happened?

While the MEA described the incident as a collision, officials aware of the matter said that the episode involved a close-in manoeuvring by the Pakistani vessel, which approached the Indian warship at high speed and in an unsafe manner.

"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 ministry said in the press release.

The Charge d'Affaires of India in Islamabad has also been instructed to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the MEA said.

Such encounters involving naval warships are rare, particularly when vessels are operating on routine surveillance missions in international waters. The incident marks the first such contact between Indian and Pakistani military assets since Operation Sindoor in May 2025.