India and Pakistan Coast Guard officials met here today to discuss bilateral maritime co-operation, as a part of the ongoing confidence-building measure between the two countries.
New Delhi, Aug 9 : India and Pakistan Coast Guard officials met here today to discuss bilateral maritime co-operation, as a part of the ongoing confidence-building measure between the two countries.
Coast Guard Director-General, Vice Admiral R F Contractor, led the Indian team, while the Pakistani team was led by Director-General of Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), Rear-Admiral Tayyab Ali Dogar.
During the two-day talks, the two sides are expected to discuss a set of related issues like violation of exclusive economic zones, transgressions by fishermen into each others' territorial waters, pollution incidents and their control, and exchange of information about smuggling and trafficking.
India is seeking a buffer zone extending five miles into each other's maritime boundary to minimise transgressions by fishermen leading to their arrests.
Authorities from the two countries regularly arrest each other's fishermen in the estuary for illegal intrusion.
Fishermen complain they often don't know whose waters they are in because of the dispute.
Last month, both countries agreed to release all fishermen taken into custody when they strayed into each other's waters.
Pakistan released 50 Indian fishermen last month, a day after India released 43 Pakistanis.
The talks are being held for the first time after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Pakistan and India in October 2005 to establish communication links between PMSA and ICG.
As a part of an MoU, a hotline communication linkup has already been set up.
ANI