NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday said the conduct of a Pakistani naval ship that led to a collision with an Indian Navy vessel in international waters was in direct contravention of Article 10 of a 1991 bilateral agreement between the two countries.India conveyed strong protest over the incident to Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires.“The Charge d’Affaires of the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the ministry of external affairs today 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 ministry said in a statement.“While the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage, 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,” it added.The ministry further said that it advised the Pakistani diplomat “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 Charge d’Affaires of India in Islamabad has also been instructed to lodge a similar protest with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” it said.According to agency sources, a Pakistani naval ship came close to a frontline Indian Navy warship during a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea.“The Pakistani vessel was travelling at high speed and manoeuvring in an “unprofessional and unsafe manner,” ANI reported quoting sources.
India-Pakistan 1991 pact: What does it say
The pact between Islamabad and Delhi was signed in April 1991 as part of a series of confidence-building measures between both countries. The measures were aimed at fostering trust and preventing accidental or unintended military confrontations.Under the agreement, the land, naval and air forces of both countries are to avoid major exercises close to each other. If such exercises are conducted within specified areas, the main force cannot be directed towards the other side and there should be no logistical build-up close to it.Under this pact, both nations agreed to provide notification to each other about significant military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements near the border.“Their Land, Naval and Air Forces will avoid holding major military manoeuvres and exercises in close proximity to each other. However if such exercises are held within distances as prescribed in this Agreement, the strategic direction of the main force being exercised will not be towards the other side, nor will any logistics build up be carried out close to it,” the agreement says.
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Article 10 of the agreement says that naval ships and submarines of both countries have to maintain a distance of three Nautical Miles from each other.“The Naval ships and submarines belonging to the other country are not to close less than three Nautical Miles (NMs) from each other so as to avoid any accident while operating in international waters,” it says.Along with the 1991 agreement, New Delhi and Islamabad also committed themselves under the Memorandum of Understanding signed at Lahore on February 21, 1999, to conclude a “Prevention of Incidents at Sea” agreement to ensure the safety of navigation by their naval vessels and aircraft.The provision formed part of the Lahore confidence-building process and reflected the two countries’ intention to establish arrangements to prevent accidents and dangerous encounters at sea.
