News:Recently, the former Pakistan Minister has said that it had invited the then Indian Prime minister to sign an agreement on Sir Creek in 2006.However,the agreement was not signed.
Facts:
About Sir Creek:
- Sir Creek is a 96-km strip of water disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands.
- The Creek opens up in the Arabian Sea and roughly divides the Kutch region of Gujarat from the Sindh Province of Pakistan.
Importance of Sir Creek:
- Sir Creek’s core importance is fishing resources.It is considered to be among the largest fishing grounds in Asia.
- The creek is also important due to possible presence of great oil and gas concentration under the sea which are currently unexploited due to dispute on the issue.
About the Dispute:
- The dispute lies in the interpretation of the maritime boundary line between Kutch and Sindh.
- Before India’s independence,the provincial region was a part of the Bombay Presidency of British India.But after India’s independence in 1947, Sindh became a part of Pakistan while Kutch remained a part of India.
- Pakistan claims the entire creek as per Bombay Government Resolution of 1914 signed between then the Government of Sindh and Rao Maharaj of Kutch.
- However,India claims that the boundary lies mid-channel as depicted in another map drawn in 1925 and implemented by the installation of mid-channel pillars back in 1924.
