'If Pak dares...': What is Sir Creek dispute and why Rajnath Singh is warning Islamabad

Defence minister Rajnath Singh (File image)

Any misadventure by Pakistan in the Sir Creek sector will invite a decisive response, defence minister Rajnath Singh warned on Thursday, adding that such a step would be met with a decisive reply that could alter “both history and geography”.

Singh drew attention to the fact that even after 78 years of Independence, Pakistan "continues to create disputes" over the Sir Creek sector, despite India's repeated efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue.

He further stated that Pakistan’s recent expansion of military infrastructure in the Sir Creek Sector reflects its ill intent.

“If Pakistan dares to act in Sir Creek sector, the reply will be so strong that it will change both history and geography. In 1965, the Indian Army showed courage by reaching Lahore and in 2025 Pakistan must remember that the road to Karachi also passes through the Creek,” he warned from Gujarat’s Bhuj.

About Sir Creek region

Sir Creek is a 96-km-long tidal estuary between Gujarat's Rann of Kutch and Pakistan and is considered a disputed region due to varying interpretations of maritime-boundary lines by both sides. The creek flows into the Arabian sea, dividing India’s Gujarat state from Pakistan’s Sindh province.

The long-standing India-Pakistan dispute over Sir Creek stems from the demarcation "from the mouth of Sir Creek to the top of Sir Creek, and from the top of Sir Creek eastward to a point on the line designated on the Western Terminus".

Beyond this point onward, the boundary is fixed by the Tribunal Award of 1968.

What is the Sir Creek dispute?

After the 1947 partition, Sindh became part of Pakistan while Gujarat remained with India.

Although an international tribunal in 1968 settled most of the Rann of Kutch boundary dispute, the question of Sir Creek remained unresolved. India has sought to first establish the maritime boundary, whereas Pakistan insists the territorial disagreement must be addressed before that, according to an India Today report.

Pakistan claims the creek in its entirety for Sindh, citing a 1914 resolution that placed the boundary on the eastern bank. India counters that the same resolution invoked the thalweg principle, which sets the boundary along the mid-channel of navigable waters, the report added. India also refers to a 1925 map and mid-channel pillars as evidence, while Pakistan argues that the thalweg principle applies only to rivers, not tidal estuaries like Sir Creek.

As a result, the issue remains unresolved, with none of the sides prepared to give any ground.

Why is Sir Creek region important?

While the region holds little military value, it is economically important due to likely oil and gas reserves. Through a control over the region, the delimitation of maritime boundaries, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), and continental shelves is affected.

The dispute also impacts local fishers, who often and unknowingly cross into each other’s waters, and are arrested. This affects their livelihoods even though international law calls for minimal penalties.

Rajnath Singh in Bhuj

The defence minister on Thursday also virtually inaugurated a tidal-berthing facility and a Joint Control Centre (JCC) in the strategic Sir Creek sector.

The facilities will act as major enablers for integrated coastal operations, while significantly enhancing joint operational capability, coastal-security coordination and rapid response to any threats, according to the defence ministry.