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InsightsintoEditorial:AdisputethatbegsresolutionINSIGHTS

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InsightsintoEditorial:Adisputethatbegsresolution
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InsightsintoEditorial:Adisputethatbegsresolution
16March2016
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TheresolutiontotheSirCreekdisputehasbeenconsideredalowhangingfruitforsometimenow.The
demarcationofthe96kmstripofwaterintheRannofKutchmarshlandswasoneofthefactorsthat
contributedtothe1965IndiaPakistanwar.
Pertinently,itistiedtothelargerissueofdelineatingmaritimeboundariesandexclusiveeconomic
zones.Thatthecreekhaschangeditscoursesignificantlyovertheyearscomplicatesmatters
further.
Background:
SirCreekisastripofareabetweenPakistanandIndiaintheRannofKutchmarshlands.Itissituatedin
southeastofKarachi,anddividestheKutchregionoftheIndianstateofGujaratwithSindhprovinceof
Pakistan.
BothcountrieshavemanycreeksinthedeltaregionsuchasKajhar,Kori,SirandPirSannicreek.
ThesignificanceofSirCreekisthatitliesbetweentheboundaryofIndiaandPakistan.Thefar
endsstartsfromBorderPillar(BP)1175andotherendopensupintotheArabianSea.
Adisputearoseontheissueofdrawingadividinglinebetweenthetwocountries.Thedemarcation
becomessignificantwhenthelineextendsseawardstodividetheseaboundarybetweenIndiaand
Pakistan.Thelinethendirectlyaffectsthedivisionofsearesourcesincludingminerals,fishand
othermarinelifebetweenthetwocountries.
Goingovertothehistoryofthisdispute,itisworthmentioningthattheBombayPresidency,a
BritishIndianProvinceestablishedinthe17thcentury,wasdividedintofourcommissioneratesand
twentysixdistrictswithBombaycityasitscapital.ThefourdivisionswereSindh,Gujarat,Deccan
andKarnataka.
In1908,thecommissionerofSindhbroughttothenoticeofgovernment,anactofencroachment
onthepartofKutchStateandKutchDarbarwasaskedforanexplanationbyGovernmentof
Bombay.Duringseveralsessionsandseriesofmeetings,bothrepresentativesofSindhandKutch
stateswereprovidedampleopportunitytoexplaintheirpositionsbeforefinaldecision.In1914,
withKutchDarbarawardingatriangularareatoSindhstateinthenorthandsomeareatoKutch
stateinsouth,resolvedtheissue.
Theboundarydemarcationasper1914resolutionwasmarkedonthemapB44.Todemarkthe
boundaryonland,66pillarswereerectedverticallyand67pillarswereerectedhorizontally.Last
BorderPillar(BP)1175wasatthefarendoftheSirCreekandagreenlinewasmarkedonthe
easternbankoftheSirCreek.
Duringrecentpasthistory,thequestionofboundaryintheSirCreekregioncameupfirsttimefor
discussionduring1969,whenadelegationfromtheGovernmentofIndiavisitedIslamabadforthe
purposeofactuallysettlingthequestionofboundaryalignmentfromBP1175toMouthofSirCreek
openingupintotheArabianSea.Sincethentwelveroundsoftalksandthreetechnicallevelmeetings
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havebeenheldinthisregardbutanysuccesscouldnotbemetduetoIndianevasiveattitude.
Significanceofthisregion:
Theissuemaynothaverisen,sincethecreekitselfislocatedintheuninhabitedmarshlands,haslimited
militaryvaluebutholdsimmenseeconomicgain.Theregionbeingrichinoilandgasbelowtheseabed,
controloverthecreekwilladdenormouslytotheenergypotentialofeachnation.
HowConventionoftheLawsoftheSeahasfurtherincreasedthetension?
Initiallyterritorialwatersextendedonlytill12nauticalmilesbutsincetheadventofthe1982UN
ConventionontheLawoftheSea,acoastalstatecannowhavecontroloverfiveseazones:internal
water,territorialseaarea(12nauticalmileswide),contiguouszone(12nauticalmileswide),the(EEZ)
ExclusiveEconomicZone(200nauticalmileswide),thecontinentalshelf(from200nauticalmilesupto
maximum350nauticalmileswide).TheEEZcanthusbeexploitedcommerciallybothfortheundersea
energyaswellasnutrientsources.
ThesaidConventiongivesadditionalrightstobothIndiaandPakistanoversearesourcesupto
200nauticalmilesinthewatercolumnandupto350nauticalmilesinthelandbeneaththewater
column.
Italsoprovidesprinciplesonthebasisofwhichseaboundarieshavetobedrawnbetweenthe
statesadjacenttoeachotherwithaconcavecoastline.Inshort,thelandboundarysgeneral
courseofdirectiononthelandleadinguptothecoastcanmakeadifferenceofhundredsof
squarenauticalmilesofseawhenstretchedintotheseaasadividerbetweenthesaidtwostates.
Withtheadaptationof1982LawoftheSeaConventionbybothcountries,thegovernmentshave
suddenlyrealisedtheenormoussearesourcesthatcanbelostorwononthebasisoftheland
terminalpointwheretheborderbetweenIndiaandPakistanends.ThatiswhySirCreekhasnow
becomemorecontentiousthaneverbefore.
Besides,bothcountriesareboundtoprotecttheirsealanesofcommunicationsandmakeefforts
forincreasingtheExclusiveEconomicZone(EEZ)areathroughclaimingContinentalShelfby
submittingclaimtoUNCommissiononLimitsofContinentalShelf(CLCS).

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Pakistansarguments:
PakistanclaimstheentireSirCreekbasedona1914agreementsignedbetweenthegovernmentof
SindhandrulersofKutch.
Indiasarguments:
IndiacontestsPakistansclaim,statingthattheboundaryliesmidchanneloftheCreek.Initssupport,it
citestheThalwegDoctrineinInternationalMaritimeLaw,whichstatesthatriverboundariesbetweentwo
statesmaybedividedbythemidchannelifthewaterbodyisnavigable.
Whoisbeingaffected?
ThebiggestcasualtyofnotdelimitingtheSirCreekistheincarcerationofthousandsofinnocent
fishermenfromtheborderregionwhoareroutinelyarrestedandtheirboatsandmaterialsconfiscated
underthepremiseofillegalintrusion,eventhoughthereisnocognisableterritorialandmaritime
boundarydelimitationinthearea.
Theseinnocentciviliansaredeprivedoftheirfundamentalhumanrights.Theyaredeniedconsular
assistancemanyareallegedlytorturedandlanguishinjailswhilebeingsubjectedtohorribleliving
conditionsandwithoutanymeaningfulaccesstojudicialprocess.
Someprisonersgomissingandmayevenbepresumedvictimsofcustodialkillings.Ingoodwill
gestures,someprisonersarefortunateenoughtobefreed,ofteninswaps.
Variousstudieshavealsoshownthatthisregionhasbecomeasafehavenforinternationaldrug
mafia.
Whydeadlock?
OneofthechiefreasonsforthedeadlockisthatIndiawantsthedisputeresolvedsolelythroughbilateral
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dealingsinthespiritoftheShimlaAgreementof1972,whilePakistanfavoursthirdpartyinvolvementand
wantstolinktheresolutionofthedisputetocontestedterritoriesunderIndianoccupation.
Optionsbeforeboththecountries:
DesignatingthenondelineatedareaSirCreekanditsapproachesasazoneof
disengagementorajointlyadministeredmaritimepark.Suchajointadministrationcouldsee
licensedfishermenfrombothcountriesfishintheareawithoutfearofincarceration.
Alternatively,giventhecreeksecologicalsensitivity,bothcountriescoulddesignatetheareaa
maritimesensitivezone.Infact,giventhechallengesposedbyclimatechange,environment
protectionoffersasignificantopportunityforbilateralcooperation.
AnotheroptionavailableistheconstitutionofanarbitrationtribunalunderArticle287(c)oftheUN
1982ConventionontheLawoftheSea(Unclos).
ThesolutiontotheSirCreekissuealsoliesintheadoptionoftheBombayGovernmentResolution
of1914,whichdemarcatedtheboundariesbetweenthetwoterritories,includedthecreekaspart
ofSindh,thussettingtheboundarylineknownastheGreenLineortheeasternflankofthe
creek.
Conclusion:
BothIndiaandPakistanarepassingthroughacrucialphasethatoffershugepotentialforcollaboration.
Whileissuessuchasterrorismremain,theyouthfuldemographyofbothcountriesholdsoutsignificant
hope.Thepost1971generationinbothcountriesisincreasinglysteppingintoleadershiproles.
Unburdenedbythebaggageofhistory,andtacklingissuesonthebasisofpragmatism,aparadigmshift
inbilateralrelationsiswithingrasp.
Copyright(C)INSIGHTSACTIVELEARNING

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