India Summons Pakistan Envoy After Navy Vessel Collides With Frontline Indian Warship in Arabian Sea

A Pakistani naval vessel collided with an Indian Navy warship in international waters in the North Arabian Sea on the evening of Tuesday, September 15, 2026, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). No damage or injuries were reported on the Indian side.

The MEA summoned Pakistan's Charge d'Affaires in New Delhi on Wednesday, September 16, and lodged what it called a strong protest over the "unacceptable and unprofessional conduct" of the Pakistani naval unit involved, according to the MEA's own statement, cited by The Hindu, The Print, Outlook India, and Times of India.

The Indian warship was on a routine surveillance mission when the incident occurred, the MEA said. India Today identified the Pakistani vessel, citing unnamed sources, as PNS Hunain, an offshore patrol ship commissioned in July 2024 that carries anti-ship and anti-air weapons along with a terminal defense system.

According to unnamed sources cited by India Today, the Pakistani ship shadowed the Indian warship and ignored repeated warnings issued over Channel 16, the standard maritime distress and safety radio frequency. The sources told India Today that PNS Hunain then suddenly accelerated and cut across the Indian ship's bow from the starboard side, and its bow brushed against the Indian vessel. That specific sequence of events has not been confirmed in the MEA's public statement, which describes the collision only in general terms.

"No structural damage, no injuries, and no loss of capability reported on the Indian side. The Indian warship continued its mission after the incident," India Today's sources said.

India cites 1991 agreement

The MEA's formal complaint centers on Article 10 of the 1991 Agreement between India and Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements. That article requires naval ships and submarines from each country to stay at least three nautical miles apart in international waters to avoid accidents.

"While the incident, which took place in international waters, did not cause any major damage, the conduct of the Pakistani naval ship was in direct contravention of Article 10," the MEA said in its statement.

The Charge d'Affaires was told to relay to Pakistani authorities "the need for all military units to observe due care and respect the provisions of the relevant agreements between the two sides in order to prevent any repeat of such incidents," per the MEA. India's own Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad has been instructed to file a matching protest with Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement said.

Separately, the Indian Navy has raised the matter directly with the Pakistani military through established channels, India Today reported.

A pattern, according to Indian sources

India Today reported, citing unnamed sources, that this marks the second such close encounter between the two navies in the Arabian Sea in six months, with Pakistani vessels allegedly attempting risky close maneuvers near Indian Navy ships deployed on anti-piracy and surveillance duty near the Gulf of Aden. The Print's sources went further, telling the outlet that Pakistan "has in the past also behaved irresponsibly but never got so close."

Those characterizations come from unnamed Indian defense and security sources, not from an independent or Pakistani account. No Pakistani government official or military spokesperson is quoted in any of the reporting responding to India's version of events, disputing it, or offering an alternative account of what happened. Pakistan's position on the incident has not been reported.

India Today also framed the episode against the backdrop of "Operation Sindoor," describing India-Pakistan tensions as being at "an all-time high" since that operation last year, though the outlet did not detail what triggered the current friction beyond that reference.

What's unresolved

The MEA's statement stops short of assigning blame in legal terms, using the language of diplomatic protest rather than an accusation of a treaty violation adjudicated by any third party. Whether Pakistan accepts India's account, offers its own version of the encounter, or responds to the formal protest lodged in Islamabad remains to be seen. Neither government has indicated whether the incident will affect broader military-to-military contacts between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.