Key facts
- India summoned Pakistan's top diplomat in New Delhi to protest a naval collision.
- India called the conduct of Pakistani naval units "unacceptable and unprofessional."
- India claims the Pakistani warship PNS Babur scraped past INS Godavari.
- Pakistan had alleged INS Godavari hampered its escort of MV Suez and caused a collision.
- India reported superficial damage to INS Godavari's helicopter deck area.
India's foreign ministry summoned the top Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi on Wednesday to lodge a strong protest over what it described as "unacceptable and unprofessional conduct" by Pakistani naval units that led to a collision with an Indian navy unit. The incident occurred on Thursday, June 16, 2011, according to reports from that time.
Pakistan had previously alleged that the Indian warship INS Godavari brushed with its frigate PNS Babur while the latter was escorting the merchant vessel MV Suez. However, India strongly denied these allegations, claiming instead that it was the Pakistani warship that scraped past INS Godavari. India lodged a formal protest with Pakistan over the incident, expressing "serious concern."
Sources indicated that the Pakistani frigate attempted to pass INS Godavari from the right, bumping into the helicopter deck area and causing superficial damage. The Indian Navy dismissed Pakistan's allegations of aggression as "incorrect and based on misinformation."
Both INS Godavari and PNS Babur are missile-armed frigates and are considered frontline warships. MV Suez, an Egyptian-owned ship, had recently been freed by Somali pirates after the payment of ransom.