Current Affairs · · GS2 · International Relations

India–Pakistan Naval Collision Puts Maritime CBMs in Focus

A Pakistani naval vessel, PNS Hunain, collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea during a surveillance mission. The incident triggered diplomatic protests and brought the 1991 India–Pakistan military confidence-building framework, maritime safety and freedom of navigation into limelight.

Event date:

upload
  1. Context1 / 5

    Pakistan Navy vessel PNS Hunain collided with an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea while the Indian vessel was on a routine surveillance mission. Indian sources said the Pakistani vessel approached at high speed and carried out an unsafe manoeuvre; Pakistan has also lodged a protest over the incident, so responsibility is disputed. No casualties were reported, and the Indian vessel continued its mission. India raised the matter diplomatically and referred to Article 10 of the 1991 India–Pakistan agreement on military exercises and troop movements.

  2. Key highlights2 / 5
    • The collision involved PNS Hunain, a Yarmook-class Pakistani naval vessel, and an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea.
    • Indian sources described the Pakistani vessel’s approach as unsafe manoeuvring at high speed. Pakistan has separately protested the encounter.
    • India lodged a formal diplomatic protest and referred to Article 10 of the 1991 bilateral agreement.
    • The episode highlights the role of maritime communication in preventing accidental escalation between neighbouring militaries.
    • It also underlines the importance of confidence-building measures, especially when naval forces operate close to one another.
  3. Key concepts3 / 5

    Maritime Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) — CBMs are arrangements intended to reduce mistrust and the risk of military miscalculation. They can include prior notification of military activity, communication channels and agreed operating procedures. News link: The collision shows why clear rules are needed when the naval forces of neighbouring states encounter one another.

    1991 India–Pakistan Agreement — The agreement deals with advance notice of military exercises, manoeuvres and troop movements and was designed to reduce the risk of misunderstanding military activity. Article 10 contains a specific separation rule for naval ships and submarines operating in international waters. News link: India cited this provision while protesting the collision.

    Freedom of Navigation — Freedom of navigation means that ships may navigate through maritime areas where international law recognises such freedom. It does not remove the obligation to respect applicable safety rules, international law or bilateral commitments. News link: The incident occurred during naval operations in waters where questions of navigation rights and operational safety are important.

    EEZ and High Seas — An Exclusive Economic Zone gives a coastal state specific rights over natural resources, but it is not the same as territorial waters. Other states retain important navigation freedoms in the EEZ under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. High seas are maritime areas outside national maritime zones covered by the relevant UNCLOS regime. News link: The differing accounts of the encounter make it important for aspirants to distinguish maritime jurisdiction from freedom of navigation.

  4. Way forward4 / 5

    India and Pakistan can reduce the risk of accidental escalation by reinforcing naval communication channels, operational safety procedures and existing confidence-building arrangements. Incidents at sea should be examined through established diplomatic and military channels, without prejudging responsibility, so that tactical encounters do not become wider security crises.

  5. Note5 / 5
    upload

Sources

Syllabus

PaperSubjectSub-topic
GS2International RelationsIndia and its neighbourhood—relations; bilateral agreements and confidence-building measures.
GS3Internal SecurityMaritime security and security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region. Prelims and Mains.

Topics

International Relations and Current Affairs

Related previous-year questions

Asked in earlier UPSC Prelims papers on this topic. Answer, then check.

  1. UPSC Prelims 2022 · International Relations and Current Affairs

    With reference to the United National Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements: 1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baseline determined in accordance with the convention. 2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. 3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Which of the statements given above are correct?

    1. 1 and 2 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Statement 1 – CORRECT: Under UNCLOS, every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from baselines determined in accordance with this Convention. Hence statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 – CORRECT: Subject to this Convention, ships of all States, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea. Hence statement 2 is correct. Statement 3 – CORRECT: The exclusive economic zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. Hence statement 3 is correct. All three statements are correct → Option (d) 1, 2 and 3.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

Practice questions

  1. With reference to confidence-building measures between states, consider the following statements: 1. They may include advance notification of military exercises. 2. They are intended to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding and accidental escalation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Both statements are correct. Advance notice and communication mechanisms can improve predictability between militaries. CBMs seek to manage risk and misunderstanding; they do not by themselves eliminate political or military disputes.

    Difficulty: easy · statement

  2. With reference to the 1991 India–Pakistan Agreement mentioned in the news, consider the following statements: 1. It deals with advance notice concerning specified military exercises and movements. 2. It contains provisions relevant to naval encounters in international waters. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Both statements are correct. The agreement establishes notification and risk-reduction arrangements for military activities, while Article 10 specifically addresses separation between naval vessels and submarines in international waters.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

  3. With reference to an Exclusive Economic Zone, consider the following statements: 1. The coastal state has specific rights relating to natural resources. 2. Other states completely lose freedom of navigation within the zone. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is incorrect because UNCLOS preserves navigation freedoms for other states in the EEZ, subject to the Convention and the rights of the coastal state.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

Mains practice

Answer-writing practice on this article. Attempt it first, then open the hints.

  1. GS3 · 250 words

    The India–Pakistan naval collision has revived the debate on maritime confidence-building measures in the Arabian Sea. Discuss the security challenges India faces in the Indian Ocean Region and suggest a way forward.

    Show hints
    1. Open with the incident and why maritime CBMs matter between nuclear neighbours
    2. Cover grey-zone challenges: fishermen, piracy, Chinese presence at Gwadar and in the IOR
    3. Way forward: a naval hotline, an INCSEA-style agreement, and SAGAR as the wider frame

  2. "Bilateral agreements are only as strong as the channels that carry them." Examine in the context of India’s neighbourhood relations.

    Show hints
    1. Contrast the 1991 Agreement on Advance Notice of Military Exercises with the absence of a naval incidents-at-sea agreement