Analysis compares Indian, Pakistani naval conduct after ship collision
An analysis published after the recent India-Pakistan ship collision argues the incident should be judged on professionalism rather than rivalry. Article 10 of the 1991 bilateral agreement requires warships and submarines to stay at least three nautical miles apart. India and Pakistan gave conflicting accounts of the 2011 INS Godavari-PNS Babur encounter. Pakistan ratified UNCLOS in 1997. In January 2024, INS Sumitra rescued 36 people, 19 of them Pakistanis.
Source
Indian Navy · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- In the 2011 Gulf of Aden encounter, India said PNS Babur closed dangerously on INS Godavari, breaching navigational safety rules and Article 10 of the 1991 bilateral agreement. — Attributed in the source to India's account; Pakistan's contrary version is also given, so the claim is contested.
- Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement requires naval vessels and submarines to keep a minimum distance of three nautical miles. — Figure appears in the source as a statement of the agreement's provision; no document citation given.
- Pakistan ratified UNCLOS in 1997 and has incorporated major IMO instruments, including SOLAS-related conventions and STCW, into domestic law. — Stated in the source without a named source; internally consistent with the author's argument.
- INS Sumitra rescued 36 people, 19 of them Pakistanis, from two hijacked fishing vessels in under 36 hours in January 2024. — Figures appear in the source; no official statement cited.
- INS Kolkata led the MV Ruen operation in which 35 pirates surrendered and 17 crew were freed unhurt, with one injured crew member evacuated earlier by INS Kochi. — Numbers are internally consistent within the source; unattributed to any official release.
Analysts’ view opinion
Reframing the collision from "India versus Pakistan" to a question of professionalism and treaty compliance is itself a diplomatic-political move, and on this framing India holds the stronger position. Keeping the charge narrow and checkable against radar and radio logs — rather than a sweeping claim that Pakistan rejects maritime law — is harder to rebut internationally. But the story itself notes that the two sides told different versions of the 2011 Godavari-Babur encounter, which means that until independent evidence surfaces this remains a contest of narratives.
- Dropping the broad charge that Pakistan disregards treaties in favour of a specific, verifiable behavioural question is a strategically sharper posture.
- Noting that Pakistan ratified UNCLOS in 1997 pre-empts Islamabad's counter-argument and narrows its room for pushback in international forums.
- The three-nautical-mile rule under Article 10 of the 1991 agreement was built on assumed mistrust, not goodwill, so preserving it is politically in both nuclear-armed states' interest.
- Cases such as INS Sumitra rescuing 36 people, 19 of them Pakistanis, feed a soft-power claim of India as a responsible regional security provider.
- Incidents like this tend to strengthen hardline voices in domestic politics on both sides, which can make quiet use of bilateral mechanisms harder.
What to watch — Watch whether the technical record — radar tracks and radio logs — is actually taken up through the bilateral mechanism, or whether this settles into duelling public statements.
The story does not establish which vessel was at fault in the recent incident or whether warnings were answered; that remains independently unverified.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
After a recent collision between a Pakistani ship and an Indian Navy unit — following which Delhi summoned Islamabad's envoy — an analysis argues the episode should be assessed on standards of naval professionalism rather than as another round of India-Pakistan rivalry. The benchmarks it uses are safe navigation, predictable manoeuvring, adherence to bilateral confidence-building arrangements such as Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement, and readiness to assist anyone in distress at sea irrespective of flag. It revisits the disputed 2011 INS Godavari-PNS Babur encounter in the Gulf of Aden and contrasts it with a series of Indian Navy humanitarian and anti-piracy operations in which Pakistani nationals were helped.
Key facts
- Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan bilateral agreement requires naval vessels and submarines of both countries to keep a minimum distance of three nautical miles.
- In the 2011 Gulf of Aden encounter, India said PNS Babur closed dangerously on INS Godavari, breaching navigational safety rules and Article 10.
- Pakistan's account of 2011 was that INS Godavari interfered with a Pakistani humanitarian operation involving the hijacked MV Suez and that Pakistan was not the dangerous party.
- Pakistan ratified UNCLOS in 1997 and has incorporated major IMO instruments, including SOLAS-related conventions and STCW, into domestic law.
- In January 2024, INS Sumitra rescued 36 people, 19 of them Pakistanis, from two separate hijacked fishing vessels in under 36 hours.
- Seven weeks after the Sumitra rescues, INS Kolkata led the operation against hijacked bulk carrier MV Ruen; all 35 pirates surrendered and the 17 crew still aboard returned unhurt.
- One MV Ruen crew member had been evacuated earlier after being injured, by INS Kochi, during an earlier phase of the same standoff.
- In April 2025, INS Trikand's medical team boarded a fishing vessel in the central Arabian Sea to suture and splint a badly injured Pakistani sailor and hand over medicine.
Timeline
- 1991India and Pakistan sign the bilateral agreement whose Article 10 mandates a three-nautical-mile minimum separation between naval vessels and submarines.
- 1997Pakistan ratifies the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- 2011INS Godavari and PNS Babur encounter in the Gulf of Aden amid the hijacked MV Suez episode; India and Pakistan give conflicting accounts.
- January 2024INS Sumitra rescues 36 people, including 19 Pakistanis, from two hijacked fishing vessels in under 36 hours.
- Seven weeks later (2024)INS Kolkata leads the MV Ruen operation with surveillance aircraft, warships and MARCOS commandos; 35 pirates surrender, 17 crew freed unhurt.
- April 2025INS Trikand's medical team treats a badly injured Pakistani sailor aboard a fishing vessel in the central Arabian Sea.
- Recent (date not stated in the source)A Pakistani ship collides with an Indian Navy unit; Delhi summons Islamabad's envoy.
Who has a stake
- Indian Navy — Its conduct record — rescues by INS Sumitra, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Trikand — is offered as evidence of professionalism and flag-blind humanitarian response.
- Pakistan Navy — Faces the narrower, checkable questions of whether its vessel held safe speed and distance, answered warnings and used the bilateral mechanism.
- Government of India / Ministry of External Affairs — Summoned Pakistan's envoy in Delhi after the collision; manages escalation and treaty compliance messaging.
- Government of Pakistan (Islamabad) — Signatory to the 1991 agreement, UNCLOS (1997) and IMO instruments; its treaty compliance record is under scrutiny.
- Seafarers and fishermen, including Pakistani nationals — Depend on rescue and medical assistance at sea regardless of nationality, as in the Sumitra and Trikand cases.
- IMO and the international maritime legal order — Effectiveness of UNCLOS, SOLAS and STCW norms in governing conduct between rival navies in shared waters.
Why it matters
Sudden closing of distance between warships destroys the time needed to identify intent, issue warnings and correct course — a serious hazard between two nuclear-armed states. Confidence-building rules such as Article 10 exist precisely because strategic disagreement is assumed to continue, so compliance, not goodwill, is the safeguard. Framing the incident as a checkable question of navigational conduct also keeps the focus on evidence like radar and radio logs rather than sweeping claims.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan bilateral agreement: minimum three nautical miles between naval vessels and submarines.
- Pakistan ratified UNCLOS in 1997; has domesticated IMO instruments including SOLAS-related conventions and STCW.
- 2011 Gulf of Aden encounter: INS Godavari and PNS Babur, linked to the hijacked MV Suez.
- January 2024: INS Sumitra rescued 36 people (19 Pakistanis) from two hijacked fishing vessels in under 36 hours.
- MV Ruen operation: led by INS Kolkata with MARCOS commandos; 35 pirates surrendered, 17 crew rescued unhurt; INS Kochi evacuated an injured crew member earlier.
- April 2025: INS Trikand's medical team treated an injured Pakistani sailor in the central Arabian Sea.
Mains framing
The recent India-Pakistan ship collision illustrates why maritime confidence-building measures matter more than rhetoric in a rivalry between nuclear-armed neighbours. Article 10 of the 1991 bilateral agreement's three-nautical-mile rule is built on the assumption of continuing strategic disagreement: distance buys time to identify intent, transmit warnings and alter course, and closing it suddenly removes that margin. The 2011 INS Godavari-PNS Babur episode shows how contested narratives can harden — India alleged dangerous closing and an Article 10 breach, Pakistan alleged interference in its MV Suez humanitarian operation — which is why verifiable evidence such as radar and radio logs should anchor the inquiry rather than sweeping charges of treaty rejection, a charge the record weakens given Pakistan's 1997 UNCLOS ratification and its domestication of SOLAS-related and STCW instruments. The analytically stronger test is narrow and answerable: did the vessel maintain safe speed and distance, respond to warnings, and use the agreed bilateral mechanism? The way forward suggested by the source's own benchmark is professionalism measured on a fuller checklist — safe navigation, predictable manoeuvre, treaty adherence and flag-blind assistance at sea, as reflected in the INS Sumitra, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Trikand operations.
Key terms
- Article 10 (1991 India-Pakistan agreement)
- Bilateral provision requiring naval vessels and submarines of both countries to stay at least three nautical miles apart.
- UNCLOS
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; ratified by Pakistan in 1997 as per the source.
- IMO
- International Maritime Organization, whose major instruments Pakistan has folded into domestic law.
- SOLAS
- Safety of Life At Sea; IMO convention framework on ship safety standards.
- STCW
- Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping; IMO instrument on seafarer competence.
- MARCOS
- Indian Navy marine commandos, deployed in the INS Kolkata-led MV Ruen anti-piracy operation.
Practice questions
- Discuss the role of maritime confidence-building measures such as Article 10 of the 1991 India-Pakistan agreement in preventing accidental escalation between nuclear-armed neighbours.
- Examine how India's anti-piracy and humanitarian operations in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden shape its image as a responsible maritime power.
- "Naval professionalism is measured by conduct at sea, not by rivalry." Critically evaluate with reference to recent India-Pakistan maritime incidents.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.