← 17 September 2026's Current Affairs · Defence GS-3 Prelims ★★★★☆ Mains ★★★★☆
Pakistan Navy vessel collides with Indian warship in the Arabian Sea
Why in News?
A ship collision, a summoned envoy: the 1991 India-Pakistan pact GS3 questions keep testing
A Pakistan Navy vessel collided with an Indian warship in the Arabian Sea, leading to a diplomatic protest and reviving memories of past India-Pakistan naval incidents.
Why it matters: GS-3 core; factual, Prelims-type
What you need to know
2 min read
A Pakistan Navy vessel collided with an Indian warship in the Arabian Sea, prompting Pakistan to lodge a protest after India summoned the Pakistani envoy in New Delhi.
The incident revived memories of earlier India-Pakistan naval brushes in 2010 and 2011, and raised questions about the 1991 bilateral agreement between the two countries on preventing airspace violations and military over-flights.
India and Pakistan maintain a hotline between their Directors General of Military Operations to manage such incidents and prevent escalation.
Both navies operate in the Arabian Sea, a busy corridor for merchant shipping and naval patrols.
Sources: The Hindu · Topper IAS editorial
Key facts
Remember these
- A Pakistan Navy vessel collided with an Indian warship in the Arabian Sea
- Pakistan lodged a protest after India summoned the Pakistani envoy in New Delhi
- The incident revived memories of India-Pakistan naval brushes in 2010 and 2011
- It raised questions about the 1991 bilateral agreement on preventing airspace violations and military over-flights
- India and Pakistan use a DGMO hotline to manage such incidents and prevent escalation
Prelims · Mains
How the exam will ask it
Prelims
- The 1991 India-Pakistan agreement deals with preventing airspace violations and permitting over-flights and landings by military aircraft.
- A hotline exists between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan.
- Diplomatic protocol allows a state to summon another country's envoy to lodge a formal protest.
- The Arabian Sea is a key corridor for both merchant shipping and naval patrols involving India and Pakistan.
Mains
Under GS Paper 3 (Internal Security/Defence) and GS Paper 2 (India-Pakistan bilateral relations), such naval incidents highlight the fragility of existing confidence-building measures like the 1991 agreement and the DGMO hotline. The recurrence of similar incidents since 2010-11 points to gaps in real-time maritime communication protocols between the two navies. The way forward lies in strengthening dedicated naval hotlines and reviewing existing bilateral agreements to explicitly cover maritime, not just aerial, encounters.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
A collision between a Pakistan Navy vessel and an Indian warship in the Arabian Sea revived memories of earlier India-Pakistan naval incidents from which years?
- 2001 and 2002
- 2010 and 2011
- 2016 and 2019
- 1999 and 2001
Show answer
Answer: B — Similar naval brushes between the two countries in 2010 and 2011 were recalled after this latest collision in the Arabian Sea.
Convert this topic into marks
Today's 10-MCQ test · instant analysis · Powered by AdaptIQ