&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "What is Article 10 of the 1991 treaty at the centre of Pakistan Navy's 'unprofessional conduct'")
India’s protest after Tuesday's collision in the North Arabian Sea is built around a single clause in a 35-year-old treaty. Article 10 of the April 1991 Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements says naval ships and submarines of India and Pakistan “are not to come closer than three nautical miles from each other so as to avoid any accident while operating in international waters.” Three nautical miles is about 5.6km. The rule is a buffer, not a gesture.
On the high seas, there is no visible border. Distance is meant to give both sides time to identify the other ship, use the radio and change course before a close encounter becomes a crisis.
New Delhi says that buffer was ignored again on 15 September. According to the Indian side, PNS Hunain, a Yarmook-class offshore patrol vessel, shadowed an Indian warship on a routine surveillance mission about 220km east of Oman, did not heed repeated calls on Channel 16, increased speed and cut across the Indian ship’s bow from starboard. The vessels made contact.
India says its ship was not damaged by PNS Hunain returned to harbour with "severe damage". Pakistan has not issued a detailed public statement. India has called the manoeuvre “unacceptable and unprofessional” and a “direct contravention” of Article 10.
A similar incident happened in June 2011. INS Godavari and PNS Babur came into contact in the Gulf of Aden while both were near MV Suez, a merchant ship recently released by Somali pirates. Then defence minister A.K. Antony told parliament that Babur closed Godavari at high speed from astern and carried out a manoeuvre “in gross violation” of navigational safety rules, lightly damaging a helicopter-deck safety net.
Trending Stories
)
‘Kill all in the name of...’: FBI arrests 21-year-old over alleged ISIS-inspired mass-casualty attack plot
)
Space mines, lasers & robotic arms: Lt Gen Pannu decodes US disclosure of weapons in space
)
Bitter Zelensky snubs Trump for playing politics with Ukraine war | Gravitas
)
US fires up to 70 interceptors against Iran attack on Jordan, putting supplies under pressure
)
India’s imports from Russia jump 57% in five months; China remains top import source
)
‘US military task force aiding Saudi Arabia forces with intel, planning support’: Official
)
OpenAI boss Sam Altman repeats AI 'slow down' call, says world 'right to be afraid'
)
Top military commanders from US, Israel, and 7 Arab nations held secret meeting on Iran War
)
Sydney Sweeney defends provocative ad choice, the internet is still not impressed
)
India to host IPL 2027 auction; WPL 2027 auction set for late October in Kochi
)
Shahzad Bhatti Network declared terrorist organisation under UAPA: Govt order
)
'Definitely feel bad for yourself': Kuldeep Yadav opens up on India Test snubs
)
US, China dominate global economy: Where does India rank among the world's biggest economies?
)
Ex-India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh wants India to avoid 'massive changes' before ODI World Cup 2027
)
Ed Sheeran’s US tour loses all support acts after Macklemore’s removal | Controversy explained
)
Ex-England footballer Raheem Sterling pleads guilty in reckless driving and crashing his Lamborghini
)
China's property crisis deepens as investment plunges nearly 20%
)
Messi set to play in farewell match on October 6 in Argentina vs Benin friendly
)
Who was Eliana Moreno? NBC LA aerial reporter killed in Chatsworth crash
)
Putin-linked Russian oligarch, Melania links: Why Trump skipped his son’s Bahamas wedding bash?
)
800 million years old - Scientists discover 'fingerprints' of supercontinent Gondwana in ancient rocks
)
Trump's name cannot return to Kennedy Center, US judge rules
)
Pakistan naval vessel returns to harbour with 'severe damage' after collision with Indian warship in Arabian Sea
)
Water equivalent to two Pacific Oceans could be stashed 2,900 km inside Earth
)
Ex-CIA officer caught with gold bars worth $40 million seeks plea deal | Gravitas
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (September 14-20, 2026): Lust Stories 3, Waiting Hai, Irumudi- 5 new titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Trump's Iran war faces fresh House rebuke; 7 Republicans join Democrats in push to end conflict ahead of midterms
)
US Treasury yields cross 5% as Scott Bessent warns of ‘global issues’ impacting bonds
)
Who is Kalyan Bainsla, accused in the Gurugram hit-and-run case involving woman biker?
)
Saudi Arabia discovers 110 million tonnes of Uranium-rich ore in Madinah region
)
'Now Trump is copying us': Shivakumar links US $5,000 plan to Congress guarantees
)
Los Angeles helicopter crash: At least three dead, several injured; NTSB to investigate
)
West Bengal IPS officer Bushra Bano transferred after objections to ‘Assalamualaikum’, ‘Inshallah’
)
India summons top Pakistan diplomat after Pak Navy ship collides with Indian warship at high seas
)
Saudi Arabia accuses Houthis of drone attack on Mecca, first-ever red alert in Islam's holiest site sparks panic
)
'Like a thug you are using agency to go after..': Kash Patel grilled by Senate Democrats over FBI firings, journalist investigations and hiring policy
)
Canada to become EU’s first ‘associate member’? Von der Leyen proposes move amid US tensions
India protested under both the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and Article 10. A video later circulated of the two ships brushing. Pakistan rejected that account at the time.
Two collisions, 15 years apart, do not by themselves prove a standing doctrine. What they do show is a recurring argument over the same measurable rule. Pakistani ship chose the geometry- from astern in 2011, across the bow in 2026, after the Indian vessel was already in the area- and contact followed. What followed was a collision & a conduct unbecoming of the Navy, in this case, the Pakistan Navy.
