New Delhi: On Thursday, October 2, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned Pakistan against any “misadventure” in the Sir Creek region, saying India would respond with force capable of “changing both history and geography”.
Have a look at his entire statement here:
Singh's remarks, made at Bhuj military base, brought renewed focus on a century-old territorial dispute that remains unresolved between the two nations.
Here's everything you need to know:
What is Sir Creek?
Sir Creek, once known as Ban Ganga, is a 96-km tidal estuary located in the marshes of the Rann of Kutch, straddling the border between Gujarat in India and Sindh in Pakistan. It flows into the Arabian Sea and holds both strategic and economic importance. The creek is home to rich fishing grounds that sustain livelihoods in coastal Gujarat and Sindh, and the surrounding area is believed to contain hydrocarbon reserves. It also forms part of the Indus River Delta, an ecologically fragile zone with unique mangroves and marine biodiversity.
A map featuring the Sir Creek. | Google Maps screengrab
Its location directly influences the demarcation of maritime boundaries in the Arabian Sea, which in turn affects the size of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of both countries. Control over these zones determines jurisdiction over marine resources and access to key sea routes, including what Singh termed as the “road to Karachi”.
What is the dispute between India and Pakistan?
The origins of the dispute lie in colonial-era boundary arrangements. In 1908, a quarrel reportedly began over firewood stacked along the creek, drawing in the Government of Bombay to mediate. The 1914 Resolution of the Bombay Presidency attempted to settle the issue between Sindh and Kutch, backed by official maps, but ambiguity remained over the exact course of the boundary.
The matter gained prominence after Partition, particularly following the 1965 India-Pakistan war. While the larger Rann of Kutch dispute was referred to an international tribunal, the Sir Creek section was specifically left out. The tribunal’s 1968 award upheld nearly 90% of India’s claim to the Rann but acknowledged that Sir Creek remained unresolved.
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India maintains that the boundary runs through the mid-channel of the creek, consistent with the 1914 resolution and later Survey of India maps. Pakistan, however, argues that the boundary lies along the eastern bank of the creek, effectively giving it control over the entire estuary. This divergence has direct implications for where the maritime boundary begins, with Pakistan seeking to enlarge its EEZ by around 250 square miles if its claim is accepted.
Over the decades, several rounds of talks have been held. Between 1989 and 1998, India and Pakistan conducted multiple discussions, with delegations led by surveyors-general, defence officials and foreign secretaries. At these meetings, India proposed that the maritime boundary be drawn from the seaward side, following equidistant principles, while Pakistan insisted that the land boundary in Sir Creek must first be determined. However, no consensus emerged.
The shifting nature of the creek complicates the issue further. As a tidal estuary, its course can change with seasonal flows, raising technical disagreements about how to define a “mid-channel”. Pakistan argues the creek is non-navigable and should not be treated as a water boundary subject to mid-channel principles, which is a claim India strongly contests.
Environmental and human factors have deepened the dispute. Fishermen from both countries are frequently arrested for allegedly straying into each other’s waters, an inevitable outcome of the undefined boundary. India has also accused Pakistan of damaging the deltaic ecosystem through the discharge of saline and industrial effluents via the Left Bank Outfall Drain.
However, no settlement had been reached.
Sir Creek's political significance
Sir Creek’s importance is not limited to fisheries and hydrocarbons. Its location makes it a sensitive frontier, particularly given Pakistan’s military infrastructure in the region and India’s deployments of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Navy. Singh’s latest warning reflects India's concern that Pakistan may attempt to alter the status quo, even as the broader bilateral relationship remains strained by Kashmir, terrorism and cross-border tensions.
ormer Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and then Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto after signing the Simla Agreement in 1972. | X/@indiaarchives24
While the 1972 Simla Agreement requires disputes to be settled bilaterally, Pakistan has repeatedly sought third-party arbitration, including suggestions of referring the case to the International Court of Justice. India has consistently rejected this, insisting that the matter can only be resolved through direct dialogue.
For now, the Sir Creek dispute remains an unresolved legacy of the British Raj, entwined with history, maps and shifting tides.
