On Tuesday night, the Indian Navy's INS Kolkata and Pakistan Navy's PNS Hunain collided in the north Arabian Sea, sparking a diplomatic flare‑up.
India alleges the Pakistani vessel performed a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre that violated Article 10 of the 1991 Agreement on Advance Notice, which mandates a three‑nautical‑mile buffer between naval units.
Pakistan's Defence Ministry counters that Kolkata was executing a routine SEASPARK‑26 exercise and that the collision resulted from Kolkata's aggressive manoeuvres, calling the incident "provocative."
In response, New Delhi summoned Pakistan's Chargé d’Affaires and lodged a formal protest; Islamabad reciprocated, urging Pakistan to respect bilateral agreements.
Inspections revealed Kolkata sustained no major damage, while Hunain suffered significant hull breaches and has been docked for repairs; the crew reported no casualties.
Both sides now face a tense diplomatic stalemate, with the next expected step being a high‑level maritime dialogue set for early next month to prevent future incidents.