ISLAMABAD: Islamabad on Wednesday lodged a protest with New Delhi over what it described as an “Indian naval provocation” in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), following a collision involving Pakistani and Indian naval ships in northern Arabian Sea.

The collision occurred on Tuesday, when Pakistan Navy was undertaking its biennial exercise SEASPARK-26 and an Indian vessel carried out “aggressive maneuvers in dangerously close proximity of Pakistani naval ship” that resulted in contact between the two vessels, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

The Pakistani ministry said it summoned on Wednesday the charge d’affaires of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and lodged a strong protest over the “highly provocative and unacceptable action by a vessel of the Indian navy” in Pakistan’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

“The incident constituted a serious violation of international law and the bilateral agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troop Movements, 1991, and risked escalating tensions in the region,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The Charge d’Affaires was asked to convey to the government of India that Pakistan strongly rejects this belligerent Indian action. Indian side was urged to adhere strictly to international law and bilateral agreements, particularly those aimed at preventing incidents at sea.”

The agreement mandates that ​naval ships and submarines of the countries ‌should keep a distance of at least three nautical miles from each other to ‌avoid any accident in international waters.

India earlier summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat over the collision, its external affairs ministry said, describing the incident as “unacceptable and unprofessional” and asking Pakistan to ensure its military units exercise caution.

This ⁠was the first overt military tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors since they engaged in a fierce, four-day military conflict last year that raised fears of a wider war before a ceasefire was reached.

India and Pakistan do not have ambassadors in each other’s capitals as they downgraded their diplomatic relations over their Kashmir dispute in 2019, with their missions headed by a charge d’affaires since.

The arch-rivals have fought three major wars, two of them over Kashmir — which is divided between ​them but claimed in full by both — ​and numerous armed skirmishes since independence from British colonial India in 1947.

— With additional input from wire agencies.