MV Suez (in foreground) is seen heading towards Oman on Thursday under the surveillance of INS Godavari. (PTI)

New Delhi, June 18: New Delhi and Islamabad have started a war of words days before their foreign secretary-level talks.

India today lodged a formal protest with Pakistan, accusing its frigate PNS Babar of employing risky manoeuvres on the high seas that endangered the safety of an Indian warship and its crew on counter-piracy patrol.

The Indian protest comes a day after Islamabad formally complained to the Indian high commission that the Indian guided missile frigate INS Godavari had conducted aggressive manoeuvres when the Pakistani ship was escorting the MV Suez, released by Somali pirates earlier this week, to the port of Salalah in Oman.

Sources in the Indian security establishment said New Delhi had protested about the incident to the Pakistanis on Friday itself but did not want to escalate the situation given next week’s talks.

Yesterday, India’s ministry of defence summoned the naval adviser of the Pakistan high commission “and our serious concern on this incident was conveyed”, a ministry of external affairs spokesperson said in New Delhi.

In its protest made through the high commission today, India said PNS Babar by its risky manoeuvres violated international regulations on navigational safety and “jeopardised the safety of INS Godavari and its crew”.

PNS Babar violated the “International Regulations for Prevention of Collisions at Sea and Article 10 of the Agreement between India-Pakistan on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements 1991”, the spokesperson said.

Sources in the Indian security establishment said it was the Pakistani ship that was aggressive while the INS Godavari took evasive measures. The sources insinuated that the military authorities in Pakistan get more provocative when talks between the two governments take centre stage.

Before India lodged its protest, the foreign ministry spokesperson had said in response to Pakistan’s complaint: “Somalian piracy is a global challenge and menace which requires a well co-ordinated response by the international community. The MV Suez that was seized in August 2010 has sailors from Egypt, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. During the preceding months, concerned Indian entities have been co-ordinating with their interlocutors overseas, which has led to the safe release of the sailors and the ship. MV Suez is now heading for Oman. Insinuations to the contrary by a few voices stem from lack of appreciation of facts and are totally baseless.”

Navy sources had said on Thursday that they were arranging for the escort of the MV Suez with the US Navy-led coalition, the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. India is not a member of the coalition but Pakistan is. In its complaint to the Indian high commission in Islamabad, Pakistan said it was a “serious incident”.

The INS Godavari, the complaint said, “not only hampered humanitarian operations being carried out by Pakistan Navy Ship Babar for Merchant Vessel Suez but also undertook dangerous manoeuvres, which resulted in the brushing of the sides”.