The Pakistan Navy intercepted and tracked an Indian submarine on March 1 (Tuesday), the military's media affairs wing said on Thursday.

In a tweet, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said that the navy's anti-submarine unit intercepted and tracked the "latest Kalvari class Indian submarine".

"The recent incident being the fourth detection in [the] last five years is [a] reflection of Pakistan Navy’s competence and resolve to defend maritime frontiers of Pakistan," he said on Twitter, sharing video footage of the submarine.

In a detailed statement, Gen Iftikhar said the Indian Navy deployed its submarine against Pakistan with "ulterior motives".

"However, yet again through continuous vigilance and professionalism, Pakistan Navy has foiled [the] Indian submarine’s attempt of entering into Pakistani waters," he said.

"During prevailing security environment and ongoing Pakistan Navy Exercise SEASPARK-22, the possibility of Indian unit lurking into Pakistan maritime zone for reconnaissance and gathering information on exercise was anticipated.

"Therefore, strict monitoring watch and stringent vigilance procedures were enforced. Resultantly, Pakistan Navy anti-submarine warfare unit took the lead and prematurely intercepted and tracked the latest Indian submarine Kalvari on March 1," he said.

The last such incident was reported in October 2021 when the navy detected and blocked an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters.

The UN Convention on Law of Sea does not allow a state to carry out manoeuvres or exercises in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and in the continental shelf of another coastal state without its consent. EEZ signifies an area of coastal water and seabed within a certain distance of a country's coastline that cannot be entered without permission or prior information.

The area of Pakistan's territorial waters is 12 nautical miles while its seabed territory (EEZ) grew to 290,000 square kilometres in 2015.