New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Terming the conduct of a Pakistani naval vessel which collided with an Indian Navy warship as 'unacceptable and unprofessional', Former Indian Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma (Retd) on Wednesday slammed such dangerous manoeuvring by the vessel, which was in the North Arabian Sea.  

Commenting on the incident, Captain Sharma highlighted that India's Ministry of External Affairs has already stepped in to lodge a formal diplomatic protest as it summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

'Well, an incident at sea by the Pakistani naval ships. Unacceptable and unprofessional conduct by their ships has been reported by Indian Navy, and for that the Charge d'Affaires of the High Commission of Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned by the MEA and a protest has been lodged,' Captain Sharma said. 

Detailing the nature of the confrontation, the former naval official emphasised that Pakistani vessels recklessly violated standard maritime safety distances. 

'And this is because, I believe last evening, some of their ships came and manoeuvred very dangerously around an Indian naval ship, which is not acceptable to anyone who operates at sea. There are rules, regulations, and there are distances to be kept and maintained between two ships at sea, be it warships or merchant vessels,' he explained. 

Captain Sharma warned that such reckless actions near Indian vessels escalate the risk of wider confrontation if not kept in check. 

'But if you come closer like this, it is absolutely not acceptable and can lead to a very, very dangerous situation where the things can snowball within no time,' Sharma warned. 'And this has been made very, very clear. And they know it, what is the power of Indian Navy, and we are exercising restraint.' 

Reiterating that maritime operations are governed by strict international protocol, Captain Sharma emphasised that India has issued a firm line against future provocation.

'And only you know, this time, they have been called and a protest has been launched and a warning has been given that this will not be accepted by Indian Navy at all in any any condition. There are laws of sea which need to be adhered to by all seafarers and nobody is allowed to cross the line on these matters,' he concluded.

The Pakistani naval vessel involved in a collision with an Indian Navy ship in the North Arabian Sea on Tuesday evening was PNS Hunain, an Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Pakistan Navy, sources said on Wednesday. According to sources, the incident took place on September 15 when the Pakistani vessel approached a frontline Indian Navy warship carrying out a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea.The Pakistani naval ship closed in at high speed and manoeuvred in an 'unprofessional and unsafe manner', resulting in a collision, sources said. No major damage was reported in the incident.

Following the incident, India summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over what it termed the 'unacceptable and unprofessional conduct' of Pakistani naval units.

The MEA said the incident occurred in international waters and did not cause any major damage. It, however, said 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 Pakistani Charge d'Affaires was advised to convey to the concerned authorities in Pakistan the need for all military units to exercise due care and comply with relevant bilateral agreements to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.

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

Subsequently, the Pakistan Navy ship was observed to be heading to harbour after sustaining damage. (ANI)