India has lodged a formal protest with Pakistan over a collision between an Indian Navy warship and a Pakistani naval vessel in international waters of the North Arabian Sea, citing a 1991 bilateral agreement on military conduct. The incident, which occurred on the evening of September 15, 2026, involved a frontline Indian Navy warship and the Pakistani offshore patrol vessel PNS Hunain, according to Indian officials. The collision, described as minor, occurred approximately 120 nautical miles from the Gulf of Oman, in an area not near any territorial waters.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Pakistani vessel approached the Indian warship at high speed and manoeuvred in an 'unprofessional and unsafe manner,' violating Article 10 of the 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements. Article 10 mandates that naval ships and submarines from both countries maintain a minimum distance of three nautical miles from each other in international waters to prevent accidents.

India summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi to formally protest the incident, urging Islamabad to ensure its military units adhere to the terms of the 1991 pact. The ministry also instructed the Charge d’Affaires of India in Islamabad to lodge a similar protest with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Officials in New Delhi emphasized that the collision was a serious breach of safety protocols, though they did not suggest it was an act of aggression.

The Indian Navy has been conducting routine surveillance missions in the North Arabian Sea for several months, with destroyers and frigates deployed in the region. The Pakistani vessel, PNS Hunain, was reported to have sustained damage in the collision and returned to its home port. No damage was reported to the Indian warship, which continued its mission. The exact location of the incident remains unspecified, with neither government disclosing precise coordinates.

The incident has drawn comparisons to a similar collision in 2011, when the Pakistani naval warship PNS Babur brushed past the Indian frigate INS Godavari in the Gulf of Aden, causing minor damage. At that time, India also lodged a formal protest, summoning the Pakistan High Commission’s naval advisor. The 2026 incident appears to follow a similar pattern, with India emphasizing the need for adherence to agreed safety measures.

The Indian government has not indicated whether it will pursue further diplomatic or military action, though it has made clear that any recurrence of such incidents would be a matter of concern. The collision underscores the ongoing challenges in maintaining maritime safety and adherence to bilateral agreements between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.