India-Pakistan navy ship collision sparks alarm over unintended escalation | India-Pakistan Tensions News
Islamabad, Pakistan — More than 16 months after a four-day air conflict, India and Pakistan approached the brink of military confrontation once again, this time in the Arabian Sea.
On Tuesday, naval vessels from both countries collided, prompting reciprocal accusations from each government. Following the incident, Pakistan’s government summoned India’s top diplomat in Islamabad on Wednesday, a move that mirrored India’s earlier action when it summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires and lodged its own protest.
This collision marks the first direct military encounter between the nuclear-armed neighbors since their May 2025 conflict, characterized by air strikes and retaliatory actions that brought both nations perilously close to the brink of war.
While details surrounding the collision remain disputed, neither government has released video or independent accounts to clarify the events. Each side has attributed blame to the other’s vessel.
Experts suggest that the incident underscores the risks of accidental confrontations in the region’s waters, where the lack of military and diplomatic mechanisms to alleviate tensions increases the potential for broader crises.
Disputed Accounts of the Incident
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the navy has been conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise within its exclusive economic zone since September 1. This zone extends 200 nautical miles from a nation’s coast. While foreign vessels may navigate through international waters within the EEZ, they are prohibited from engaging in economic exploitation of these waters.
Pakistan alleges that the Indian vessel, the guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata, repeatedly attempted to enter the exercise area since September 7. On September 15, Pakistan claimed that Kolkata changed course dangerously, resulting in contact with a Pakistani patrol vessel, identified in local media as PNS Hunain.
The Pakistani Foreign Office strongly condemned what it termed a “belligerent Indian action,” asserting that it violated a 1991 bilateral agreement that mandates warships maintain a minimum distance of three nautical miles in international waters.
In contrast, India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated that its warship was engaged in routine surveillance in international waters when a Pakistani vessel approached at high speed and executed an unsafe maneuver. Neither government has explicitly confirmed the identities of the vessels involved.
The last collision at sea between the two navies occurred in June 2011, when a Pakistani frigate brushed against an Indian frigate in the Gulf of Aden, with each side again placing blame on the other.
Risks of Escalation
Retired Vice Admiral Ahmad Saeed of the Pakistan Navy highlighted a historical pattern whereby naval vessels press closely together without intent to collide, reminiscent of Cold War “bumping” incidents between Soviet and U.S. ships. He expressed concern that India and Pakistan lack the frameworks to effectively manage such encounters.
“There’s no bilateral Incidents at Sea agreement, the kind the U.S. and USSR signed in 1972, and no navy-to-navy hotline,” Saeed said. Furthermore, the existing 1991 agreement offers no procedural guidelines for investigating incidents.
Experts caution that the aftermath of the collision could escalate tensions, potentially leading to aggressive tactics like fire-control radar locks or helicopter overflights. There is also concern that public sentiment, inflamed by the 2025 conflict, could heighten pressures on both governments.
Muhammad Shareh Qazi, a Lahore-based security analyst, referenced the same 1991 agreement, which requires prior notification for military exercises. He argued that appropriate protocols could mitigate escalation risks and suggested that no immediate signs of a military threat had emerged from this incident.
As tensions escalate in various other regional maritime disputes, such as those involving China and the Philippines, the ability of Indian and Pakistani officials to manage the diplomatic fallout in the coming days will be crucial in determining the trajectory of this latest encounter.
“Whether this week’s incident fades or escalates depends largely on the diplomatic responses that follow,” Qazi said.
