WASHINGTON: The US Navy announced on Friday that one of its warships had conducted a freedom of navigation patrol in Indian waters this week without New Delhi’s prior consent.

An unusual statement by the commander of the Seventh Fleet said their ship entered Indian waters to uphold “rights and freedoms” recognised in international law by “challenging India’s excessive maritime claims”.

India reacted by expressing concern over the move, but did not say if the US warship was challenged during its passage.

A brief statement by the US fleet’s public affairs office said that “on April 7, USS John Paul Jones asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands, inside India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), without requesting India’s prior consent”.

The note claimed that the move was “consistent with international law”, although it also mentioned that “India requires prior consent for military exercises or manoeuvres in its EEZ or continental shelf”.

Explaining why the fleet did not seek India’s consent, the statement said the Indian “claim (is) inconsistent with international law”.

“This freedom of navigation operation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognised in international law by challenging India’s excessive maritime claims,” the US Navy declared.

The press release also said that US forces operate in the Indo-Pacific region on a daily basis and that “all operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows”. The statement made it clear that it did not consider the passage unusual or unlawful.

“We conduct routine and regular Freedom of Navigation Operations, as we have done in the past and will continue to in the future. (The operations) are not about one country, nor are they about making political statements,” it said.

The Indian ministry of external affairs issued a response on Friday evening, saying that USS Paul Jones was “continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits”.

“We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the government of the USA through diplomatic channels,” the press note added.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2021