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Indian and Pakistani naval vessels collided with each other in international waters in the North Arabian Sea on September 15, 2026, prompting both governments to lodge diplomatic protests over competing accounts of the incident.

India said the incident occurred in international waters and involved a Pakistani naval vessel approaching an Indian Navy warship at high speed during a routine surveillance mission.

Pakistan, however, said the incident occurred in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) while its navy was conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise, and accused an Indian naval vessel of carrying out aggressive manoeuvres close to a Pakistani ship.

Neither side has publicly established an independent account of how the contact occurred. Both governments have said the incident involved a violation or disregard of bilateral arrangements governing the conduct of military vessels.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on September 16 that the incident did not cause any major damage. It summoned Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi and lodged a formal protest, describing the conduct of Pakistani naval units as “unacceptable and unprofessional.”

Competing Accounts of the Collision

According to Indian officials, a Pakistani naval vessel approached a frontline Indian Navy warship at high speed while the Indian ship was conducting a routine surveillance mission in the North Arabian Sea. India said the Pakistani vessel manoeuvred in an unsafe manner, resulting in the two vessels coming into contact.

The Indian government said the incident occurred in international waters and that there was no major damage. It also said the conduct of the Pakistani vessel was contrary to Article 10 of the April 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements.

Pakistan has presented a different account. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad on September 16 to lodge a protest over what it called a “highly provocative and unacceptable action” by an Indian Navy vessel.

According to Pakistan, the Indian vessel was operating in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone while the Pakistan Navy was conducting its biennial SEASPARK-26 exercise.

Pakistan said the Indian vessel carried out “aggressive manoeuvres in dangerously close proximity” to a Pakistani naval ship, resulting in contact between the two vessels.

Pakistan said its diplomat had been asked to convey to the Indian government that Islamabad rejected what it described as the Indian action. It also said the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi would lodge a corresponding demarche with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The two accounts differ on both the location and circumstances of the incident. India describes the encounter as occurring in international waters and attributes the collision to the manoeuvring of the Pakistani vessel, while Pakistan places the incident within its EEZ and attributes the dangerous manoeuvring to the Indian vessel.

1991 Agreement on Minimum Distance Between Warships

Both countries have referred to the 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements.

The agreement includes provisions requiring naval ships and submarines from both countries to maintain a minimum distance of three nautical miles from each other while operating in international waters.

The purpose of the provision is to reduce the risk of accidents and prevent military encounters from creating unnecessary tensions.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in “direct contravention” of the agreement. The ministry also said military units from both countries must exercise due care and respect their bilateral agreements to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Pakistan has also cited the same bilateral agreement in its protest, although its account of the location and conduct of the vessels differs from India’s. Islamabad said the incident constituted a violation of international law as well as the bilateral agreement.

Although the incident did not cause major damage, close encounters between military ships can create risks because naval vessels carry weapons, operate at high speeds, and may be conducting surveillance or other sensitive missions.

Diplomatic Protests

India summoned Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in New Delhi on September 16 and lodged a formal protest. New Delhi said the diplomat was advised to convey to the Pakistani authorities the need for military units to exercise due care and comply with relevant bilateral agreements to prevent similar incidents.

India’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad was also instructed to lodge a corresponding protest with Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistan subsequently summoned India’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged its own protest. Pakistan said the Indian diplomat was asked to convey Pakistan’s objections to the Indian government and that a reciprocal demarche would be delivered by Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in New Delhi.

The exchange represents a diplomatic dispute over the circumstances of the same naval incident, rather than agreement between the two governments on responsibility for the collision.

India and Pakistan do not currently have ambassadors in each other’s capitals. Their diplomatic missions have been headed by Chargés d’Affaires since the two countries downgraded diplomatic relations in 2019.

The absence of full ambassadorial representation adds a further diplomatic dimension to the handling of incidents between the two countries, although both maintain functioning diplomatic missions.

Collision Adds to Existing Tensions

The naval incident comes amid continued tensions between India and Pakistan, which have fought three major wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Two of those wars were fought over Kashmir.

The two countries also experienced a four-day direct military conflict in May 2025, which raised concerns about a wider confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors before a ceasefire was reached.

Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have remained strained since 2019, when India revoked the special constitutional status of Indian-administered Kashmir, and both countries downgraded their diplomatic ties.

The latest naval collision is the first reported direct military incident involving the two countries’ naval vessels since the 2025 conflict. It highlights the continuing risks of military encounters between India and Pakistan, even when forces are operating outside territorial waters.