What is Sir Creek?
- It is a 96-km estuary between India and Pakistan, cutting through where Gujarat State and Sindh province.
- Sir Creek is an area that has not been demarcated between India and Pakistan by a clearly delineated maritime border.
Sir Creek on Google Map
Importance of Sir Creek
- Strategic or military importance very little
- Dispute mainly because of the fishing resources as it’s considered to be one of the largest fishing grounds in Asia
- Said to be rich in hydrocarbons and shale gas – immense economic potential
Dispute?
- Pakistan claims the entire Sir Creek based on a 1914 agreement signed between the government of Sindh and rulers of Kutch.
- India claims that the boundary lies mid-channel, as was depicted in a map in 1925 and implemented with pillars placed to mark the boundary.
- If one country agrees to the other’s traditional position, then the former will end up losing a vast amount of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rich with gas and mineral deposits.
- A country has special rights to EEZ under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that includes exploration and use of resources there including via deep sea mining, in which there have been exciting new breakthroughs.
Why it is not settled yet?
- Main reason is lack of trust.
- According to Indian, 1914 agreement was signed between Sindh and Kutch. They have become parts of two sovereign states, India and Pakistan, and thus their maritime boundary now needed to be settled as per international norms, mainly the Thalweg Doctrine.
- Another resolution of the erstwhile Bombay Government adopted in 1925 did install mid-channel pillars in Sir Creek.
- Pakistan does not agree with India since an acceptance of these provisions would lead to redrawing of the maritime boundary in the area, re-delineation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and other fishing areas in the Arabian Sea.
- Application of international laws also would be difficult in terrain that constantly change shape.
- In marshy areas like the Rann, landmasses emerge and slip back into water. The joint survey held by India and Pakistan held in 2007 claimed Sir Creek had shifted nearly 1.5 km eastwards.
Problems arises out of Sir Creek
With both countries unable to agree on the exact boundary, the differences flow into the Arabian Sea creating a vast stretch of disputed water, where fishermen’s misery, terrorist designs and global drug syndicate interests are all converging.
- FISHERMEN MISERY: Many fishermen in a bid to catch fish, get caught by the other country’s forces and remain in jail for many years.
- TERRORIST DESIGNS: The disputed area is used by terrorists to travel to India and conduct terrorist activities. E.g. the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
- SMUGGLING: Such loopholes may lead to the waters bring used for smuggling drugs by drug syndicates.
- POLITICAL DISPUTES: In 1999, the Indian government shot down a Pakistani Surveillance aircraft. Also the terrorism and drug activities do not bode well for India-Pakistan relations.