Pakistan has objected to India’s construction of Border Outposts (BOP) at Sir Creek in Gujarat, a site where the boundary line is disputed by both the sides. India has insisted that the construction is well within its territory.
At a local commander level meeting with the Border Security Force (BSF) last month, Pakistani rangers objected to “CPWD constructing a BOP at Samudra Bet”, officials told CNN-News18.
“India has traditionally patrolled the waterway near the area where the BOP is coming up. But Pakistan now says they have papers to prove that the Indian claim line is to the east of the estuary…about 1 km from the island where the construction is happening,” a senior officer in the know told CNN-News18.
Towards the end of 2022, the Union Home Ministry sanctioned Rs 50 crore for construction of eight multi-storey bunkers-cum-observation posts in Sir Creek. Officials said the decision was taken in view of the constant infiltration of Pakistani fishermen and fishing boats in the area.
VANTAGE POSITION
Three BOPs — Lakhpat Wari bet, Duffa bet and Samudra Bet — are meant to give the BSF a vantage position to guard the borders. The three BOPs would see 42-foot high ‘vertical bunkers’ being constructed with space for mounting surveillance gadgets and radars to keep an eye on the area that comprises serpentine estuaries. The other floors will have the capacity to house around 15 armed BSF personnel and their logistics.
Samudra Bet, which is situated on an island, has become the bone of contention with Pakistan. Pakistan has called the island ‘Maurya Bet’ and claimed the territory to be its own.
“The construction is going ahead. CPWD is constructing the BOPs. Roads are being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to reach the BOP, the Indian Army has also been looped in, considering the intensity of the Pakistani protest and the sensitivity of the area,” an official said.
India is committed to constructing these BOPs, as the permanent concrete structures would give BSF the strategic advantage of being stationed right at the International border in Sir Creek and ‘Harami Nalla’ marshes.
As per official data, 22 Pakistani fishermen, 79 fishing boats and heroin worth Rs 250 crore were seized by the BSF from this region of Gujarat in 2022.
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