Longstanding dispute: Indian govt warned not to ‘give away’ Sir Creek
Gujarat CM says handing over disputed area would be ‘strategic blunder’.
NEW DEHLI:
Two days before Interior Minister Rehman Malik visits India, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday warned the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) not to “give away” Sir Creek.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Modi said: “I am writing on a serious issue of talks being held on Sir Creek being handed over to Pakistan. Any attempt to hand over Sir Creek to Pakistan would be a strategic blunder considering the history and sensitivity of the region.”
“I would earnestly request you to stop this dialogue with Pakistan at once and Sir Creek should not be handed over to Pakistan,” Modi wrote in the letter. “I am writing to you at this juncture as I was told that a decision is being taken on Sir Creek issue on December 15,” Modi added in the letter.
“Sir Creek has been settled 100 years back between the rulers of Kutch and Sindh. Even the tribunal verdict in 1968 headed by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson shows Pakistan getting only 10 per cent of its claim of 9,000 sq km of this border area,” the letter mentioned.
Modi said in the letter that handing over Sir Creek to Pakistan would totally open up the Gujarat border with Pakistan, adding that he was given to understand that Pakistan recently carried out a joint operation of its army, air force and navy, codenamed Sea-spark-12, almost one month ago very near to Sir Creek.
“I would request you to stop taking any decision on this crucial issue on December 15th. After the elections are over in Gujarat, I shall seek your time to discuss this issue with you,” Modi said in the letter.
Government sources said Modi was trying to stir up trouble and score brownie points on the eve of phase one of the elections due today (Thursday). Gujarat is in the middle of elections for the provincial assembly, which Modi’s party is almost certain to win.
Modi’s warning drew an almost instant response from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), charging that Modi’s remarks did not contain an iota of truth and that he was playing politics with an internationally sensitive issue.
Rebutting the letter, the PMO statement said the chief minister’s assertions were inaccurate and unsubstantiated. The government said it was in discussion with Pakistan about Sir Creek and “these discussions have been carried out by successive governments of India since the dialogue process began in 1998, and continued after Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore.”
“The allegation in the letter that Sir Creek is about to be given to Pakistan is untrue,” the PMO statement said, adding “therefore, the other conclusions drawn from this alleged fact are also not real.”
The PMO statement concluded that Modi had made no efforts to get the facts from the government before writing the letter and releasing it to the media.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.
Two days before Interior Minister Rehman Malik visits India, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday warned the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) not to “give away” Sir Creek.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Modi said: “I am writing on a serious issue of talks being held on Sir Creek being handed over to Pakistan. Any attempt to hand over Sir Creek to Pakistan would be a strategic blunder considering the history and sensitivity of the region.”
“I would earnestly request you to stop this dialogue with Pakistan at once and Sir Creek should not be handed over to Pakistan,” Modi wrote in the letter. “I am writing to you at this juncture as I was told that a decision is being taken on Sir Creek issue on December 15,” Modi added in the letter.
“Sir Creek has been settled 100 years back between the rulers of Kutch and Sindh. Even the tribunal verdict in 1968 headed by British Prime Minister Harold Wilson shows Pakistan getting only 10 per cent of its claim of 9,000 sq km of this border area,” the letter mentioned.
Modi said in the letter that handing over Sir Creek to Pakistan would totally open up the Gujarat border with Pakistan, adding that he was given to understand that Pakistan recently carried out a joint operation of its army, air force and navy, codenamed Sea-spark-12, almost one month ago very near to Sir Creek.
“I would request you to stop taking any decision on this crucial issue on December 15th. After the elections are over in Gujarat, I shall seek your time to discuss this issue with you,” Modi said in the letter.
Government sources said Modi was trying to stir up trouble and score brownie points on the eve of phase one of the elections due today (Thursday). Gujarat is in the middle of elections for the provincial assembly, which Modi’s party is almost certain to win.
Modi’s warning drew an almost instant response from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), charging that Modi’s remarks did not contain an iota of truth and that he was playing politics with an internationally sensitive issue.
Rebutting the letter, the PMO statement said the chief minister’s assertions were inaccurate and unsubstantiated. The government said it was in discussion with Pakistan about Sir Creek and “these discussions have been carried out by successive governments of India since the dialogue process began in 1998, and continued after Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore.”
“The allegation in the letter that Sir Creek is about to be given to Pakistan is untrue,” the PMO statement said, adding “therefore, the other conclusions drawn from this alleged fact are also not real.”
The PMO statement concluded that Modi had made no efforts to get the facts from the government before writing the letter and releasing it to the media.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2012.