Reuters AlertNet Lite - Pakistan says fisherman shot in disputed estuary

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Pakistan says fisherman shot in disputed estuary

20 Jul 2007 10:50:05 GMT
Source: Reuters

KARACHI, July 20 (Reuters) - Indian coast guards opened fire on a Pakistani fishing vessel in disputed waters flowing into the Arabian Sea and one person was killed, a Pakistani maritime official said on Friday.

The incident occurred in the Sir Creek area, some 90 nautical miles east of Karachi on Thursday.

"The fisherman was killed yesterday after Indian coast guards opened fire on his boat," said Lieutenant-Commander Mohammad Shahzad, spokesman for the Maritime Security Agency.

"The boat was in the disputed area, and we have repeatedly asked our fishermen not to venture there."

No one else was reported hurt, but Indian officials arrested eight fishermen and seized a boat that had crossed into Indian waters, said Shahzad.

The dispute over the 100-km (60-mile) long estuary has hampered exploration for oil and gas and led to the detention of hundreds of fishermen from the two countries, mostly in areas where demarcation is unclear.

Earlier this month, the two nuclear-armed rivals agreed to release all fishermen taken into custody when they strayed into each others' waters.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars and came dangerously close to a fourth in 2002.

But ties between the South Asian neighbours have warmed since they began a peace process in 2004, although progress has been slow on their territorial disputes, of which the Himalayan region of Kashmir is by far the most serious.

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Last updated:Fri Jul 20 10:52:35 2007