India Rejects Pakistan’s Claims Over INS Kolkata-PNS Hunain Collision, Cites 1991 Naval Safety Pact
India has rejected Pakistan's allegations over the September 15 collision between INS Kolkata (Image X.com)
By TRH World Desk
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said PNS Hunain’s manoeuvre led to the collision and violated the three-nautical-mile separation provision for naval vessels operating in international waters.
New Delhi, September 18, 2026 — India on Friday rejected Pakistan’s allegations over the collision between Indian Navy warship INS Kolkata and Pakistan Navy vessel PNS Hunain in the North Arabian Sea. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday that the Pakistani vessel’s manoeuvre was “unacceptable and unprofessional.”
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi had seen Pakistan’s response to the protest lodged by India but rejected what he described as the allegations and insinuations contained in it.
“Let me reiterate the facts of the matter,” Jaiswal said, adding that “INS Kolkata was on a routine deployment in the western Arabian Sea when PNS Hunain conducted itself in an unacceptable and unprofessional manner at sea, resulting in a collision.”
India said the Pakistani vessel carried out a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre that was in violation of Article 10 of the April 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements.
The provision requires naval ships and submarines of the two countries operating in international waters to maintain a minimum separation of three nautical miles, or about 5.5 km, to prevent accidents, per a report in The Indian Express.
India also said the Pakistani vessel infringed the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).
Jaiswal said Pakistan had again been advised that military units must exercise due care and respect relevant bilateral agreements to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The collision took place on September 15, 2026, in the North Arabian Sea, approximately 120 nautical miles from the Gulf of Oman, according to reports citing official sources.
The Indian Navy vessel suffered no major damage and continued its deployment. PNS Hunain, according to reports, sustained damage and returned to port, per media reports.
The two sides, however, have offered sharply different accounts of the incident. Pakistan accused the Indian vessel of aggressive manoeuvring. Islamabad said the incident occurred during its SEASPARK-26 naval exercise. Both the nations summoned each other’s diplomat to lodge protests over the incident.
The 1991 India-Pakistan agreement was designed as a confidence-building mechanism to reduce the possibility that military exercises or movements could be misinterpreted and trigger a crisis.
The provision has therefore become central to the latest diplomatic exchange, with India arguing that the close manoeuvring by PNS Hunain breached an agreed safety mechanism intended precisely to prevent accidental confrontations.
The incident also recalls a 2011 encounter involving Pakistan Navy’s PNS Babur and Indian Navy’s INS Godavari in the Gulf of Aden.
For now, India has stressed that INS Kolkata remains at sea. New Delhi has called for greater adherence to established maritime rules.
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