Pakistan on Wednesday lodged a strong protest with India over a “highly provocative and unacceptable” action by an Indian Navy vessel in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone on Sept. 15.
In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the charge d’affaires of the Indian high commission in Islamabad and conveyed Pakistan’s strong protest over the incident.
He said the incident occurred while the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial exercise, SEASPARK-26. The Indian vessel carried out aggressive maneuvers in dangerously close proximity to a Pakistani naval ship, resulting in contact between the two vessels, it said.
According to the spokesperson, the incident constituted a serious violation of international law as well as the 1991 bilateral agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Maneuvers and Troop Movements. He said the incident also risked escalating tensions in the region.
The Indian charge d’affaires was asked to convey to the Government of India that Pakistan strongly rejected the “belligerent” action. The statement also urged India to strictly adhere to international law and bilateral agreements, particularly those aimed at preventing incidents at sea.
It said the charge d’affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi would lodge the same demarche with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Pakistan also called on the international community to urge India to abandon its “belligerent posture” and refrain from irresponsible actions that could further destabilize South Asia. The Foreign Office said the region could ill afford to remain “perpetually hostage” to India’s “reckless pursuit of conflict and instability.”