Pakistani Vessel's Collision with Indian Navy Ship Violates 1991 Bilateral Agreement

Gist A Pakistani vessel recently collided with an Indian Navy ship in international waters, prompting New Delhi to summon the Pakistani Charge d'Affaires in protest. India formally condemned the incident as a direct violation of the 1991 bilateral agreement governing military manoeuvres and troop movements. For civil services aspirants, this incident brings into focus the historical Confidence-Building Measures CBMs established between the two nuclear-armed neighbours to prevent accidental military escalations. Background The 1991 Agreement on Advance Notice on Military Exercises, Manoeuvres and Troops Movements is a foundational Confidence-Building Measure CBM between India and Pakistan. During the 1980s, rising nuclear ambitions in both nations drastically increased the potential cost of a conventional war, while the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan made the US and Pakistan eager to avoid conflict on Pakistan's eastern border with India. The immediate catalyst for this treaty was India's massive Operation Brass Tacks IV in January 1987 , a military exercise in Punjab and Rajasthan that mobilised roughly 150,000 troops and severely rattled the Pakistani military establishment. To prevent future military posturing from spiralling into war…