India Summons Pakistani Envoy Over Naval Collision in Arabian Sea

India summoned Pakistan's senior diplomat in New Delhi on Wednesday to protest a collision between Pakistani naval units and an Indian naval vessel in international waters, the foreign ministry said.

The incident took place on Tuesday in the northern Arabian Sea. According to the ministry, the Indian vessel did not suffer major damage.

New Delhi characterised the episode as "unacceptable and unprofessional" and urged Pakistan to ensure that its military units act with restraint and abide by bilateral agreements meant to avert such incidents. Separately, India's senior diplomat in Islamabad was instructed to take the matter up with Pakistan's Foreign Ministry.

There was no immediate response from the Pakistani government.

The two neighbours have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir. Each administers part of the territory while claiming it in full.

Relations deteriorated sharply last year after suspected militants killed 26 people, most of them Hindu tourists, in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, which denied any role. The attack was followed by reciprocal military strikes that pushed the nuclear-armed rivals close to a broader conflict over the disputed region.