New Delhi: India Friday rejected Pakistan’s allegations on the alarming incident in the high seas where a Pakistani naval ship dangerously collided with INS Kolkata earlier this week.
Islamabad sought to blame the INS Kolkata for the incident, and lodged a protest with New Delhi. Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, underlined that the Indian naval ship was on “routine deployment” before the PNS Hunain “conducted itself in an unacceptable and unprofessional manner” that resulted in the collision.
“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,” Jaiswal said at a regular press briefing.
He added: “The dangerous overtaking manoeuvre by PNS Hunain was in gross violation of Article 10 of the Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements of April 1991, which specifies that naval units at sea are not to be within 3 nautical miles of each other. In addition, the Pakistani ship also infringed the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.”
India urged Pakistan to ensure all military units “observe due care” and respect the existing agreements in place between both countries to manage such situations. The INS Kolkata continued with her deployment, and is currently at sea.
The incident occurred late Tuesday evening in the North Arabian Sea, when the PNS Hunain collided dangerously with the INS Kolkata. The Pakistani naval ship, built by Damen Shipyards in Romania, was commissioned in July 2024.
The INS Kolkata issued warnings to the approaching Pakistani vessel. Towards the end of the encounter, the PNS Hunain attempted a close-range manoeuvre, which resulted in the collision, as reported by ThePrint.
The Pakistani vessel suffered a dent, and potentially even a crack, thereby being forced to return to harbour. The PNS Hunain was unable to steer clear of the Indian vessel. The Yarmook-class vessel was part of an ongoing Pakistani military exercise in the area, according to the statement issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite the reported exercise—SEASPARK-26—ongoing at the time, the area where the collision occurred was not designated as a “no-go area” as reported by ThePrint.
The INS Kolkata was operationally deployed in the region to escort commercial ships coming through the Gulf of Oman, as the security situation in West Asia continues to deteriorate.
The PNS Hunain is a multipurpose off-shore patrol vessel, and can accommodate a helicopter and unmanned aerial systems, besides a 60-member crew. The PNS Hunain is the third vessel of the Yarmook-class to be commissioned by the Pakistani Navy.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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