Indian, Pak begin border survey in Sir Creek

Bhuj (Gujarat), Jan 17: Teams of Indian and Pakistani experts have begun process for joint survey of the long disputed border of Sir Creek in the north-west of Kutch.

The six-member Indian team, led by Brigadier Samudra of Surveyor General of India (SGI), and the Pakistani six-member expert team led by Captain Mohammed Arshad met here yesterday as a primary exercise to the main survey likely to begin soon.

The teams will meet again after a week to decide the adoption of the method for surveying the boundary disputes between two arch rivals, the sources said here yesterday.

It is believed that the ground survey will begin soon after the next week's meeting between the experts of two sides.

The sources said, ''This time the teams will conduct the survey from the G-Pillar-46 in watery portion of the 99-km-long creek area.

Earlier in year 2005, a joint team had surveyed the marshy land portion of the Sir Creek upto G-Pillar-46.'' The two teams held preliminary talks with each other, yesterday.

It is believed that they discussed about the methods to be adopted for surveying the areas.

The Indian team had arrived in its Navy's ship 'Satlaj' at Jakhau port, while Pakistani team had arrived in boat from their side border.

The Indian team will camp at Koteshwar on the Kori Creek, while the Pakistani team will have its base at Rathopir-Liyakatali Border Observation Post (BOP) of Pakistani Marine Agency.

This time only the watery portion of the sir Creek will be surveyed. The survey work in watery portion of the sir Creek to decide the maritime boundary between the two countries is going to be easy otherwise.

For, it was easy in the marshy G-Pillar area as pillars raised some 100 years ago between the Sindh province and the then princely state of Kutch existed to be counted, but after the pillar number 46 nothing is visible on the surface of water to demarcate the maritme boundary.

The sources said, deciding this would in turn decide about the area of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of both countries. The EES is rich in aquatic life and said to be having huge reserves of oil and natural gas.

UNI