The Hindu : Front Page : Sir Creek dispute:India, Pakistan for early resolution

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 08, 2004

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Sir Creek dispute:India, Pakistan for early resolution

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI, AUG. 7. India and Pakistan today ended their first talks in six years on the Sir Creek border demarcation dispute with a joint statement that reiterated the need for an early resolution of the issue. The two sides agreed to continue the discussions at a future date.

The talks on Sir Creek began on Friday soon after a joint statement on Siachen demilitarisation talks was finalised. The threads were picked up today with both sides presenting their viewpoints. The Surveyor General of India, Prithvish Nag, led the Indian delegation while the Additional Secretary in the Pakistan Ministry of Defence, Ahsan ul Haq Chaudhry, led the other side.

Exchange of views

The joint statement said the talks were held in a "frank and friendly atmosphere." The two sides elaborated upon their respective positions and had a detailed and useful exchange of views on various issues involved.

Pakistan said the entire Sir Creek, with its eastern bank defined by a "green line'' and represented on a 1914 map belongs to it. However, India says the green line is an indicative line and felt the boundary should be defined by the "mid-channel'' of the Creek as shown on a map dated 1925. Senior sources in the Defence Ministry said reports that this was the last chance for both sides to resolve the dispute on a bilateral basis were "misplaced."

Talks next week

Sir Creek is one of the eight subjects in the composite dialogue process resumed earlier this year. The next round of talks will be held next week between the Home Secretaries of the two countries on combating terrorism and suppressing trade in narcotics.

The ambiguity in maritime boundaries in the Sir Creek area has led to the detention of fishermen by the two sides, it has deterred exploration in the oil and gas rich area, and positioning of armed forces on alert. At the last talks, Pakistan had wanted India to agree to take the dispute to an international tribunal.Demarcation of the boundary would have another major consequence: it would help in defining the limits of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) and the continental shelf.

Accepting Pakistan's premise on the "green line" would mean loss of about 250 square miles of EEZ for India. Pakistan rejects India's proposal for mid-channel demarcation because it claims that this notion is applicable to navigable channels whereas Sir Creek is not navigable.

Sir Creek is a 60-mile-long estuary in the marshes of the Rann of Kutch, separating Gujarat from the Pakistani province of Sindh. Before this round of talks, the two sides have discussed the issue six times over the last two decades.

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