The Indian warship was on a routine surveillance mission when the Pakistani vessel approached it at high speed, said source. | Photo Credit: iStockphoto

Indian and Pakistani warships collided at sea, prompting New Delhi to summon Pakistan’s top diplomat in the country and adding a fresh layer of friction between the South Asian neighbors.

A Pakistani warship collided with an Indian naval vessel in international waters in the northern Arabian Sea on Tuesday evening, a government official in New Delhi said in a text message to reporters, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The Indian warship was on a routine surveillance mission when the Pakistani vessel approached it at high speed, the person said, declining to provide further details.

According to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday, the Charge d’Affaires of the High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was summoned to the ministry, which lodged a “strong protest” over what it called the “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct of Pakistani naval units at sea that led to a collision with a unit of the Indian Navy.”

The statement also said that the incident did not cause any “major damage,” without elaborating. 

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ties between the nuclear-armed neighbors have remained tense since 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed in an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir last year, bringing the two countries close to a full-blown war.

New Delhi described the killings, most of them Indian citizens, as a terrorist attack and accused Pakistan of involvement, allegations denied by Islamabad.

The naval incident comes as the escalating US-Iran conflict and closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupt global energy supplies, heightening concerns over security and freedom of navigation in waters around the Arabian Sea.

Published on September 16, 2026