Taking forward the understanding reached at the meeting between their foreign ministers in October, India and Pakistan will hold technical talks here on Tuesday to discuss methods for the first ever survey of the Sir Creek by both countries.While the dispute has been continuing since Independence, there has never been an objective survey of the Creek, with both sides relying on documents dating back to 1914. These were basically the agreements reached by princely states and both countries have been disagreeing on the interpretation of these in the current context.With pressure mounting to settle maritime boundaries by 2009, the two countries decided to first undertake a joint survey of the Creek for an updated version of the ground situation given that the Creek is a shifting geographical body.India and Pakistan have already carried out a survey of the horizontal line and even identified many boundary pillars erected well before 1947. The survey of the entire Creek now will help provide the basis for future negotiations for a settlement of the dispute.The exercise will also determine the ground terminus from where the maritime boundary can be ascertained. India had proposed earlier that both sides first agree on the maritime boundary and once it was done, New Delhi may be flexible about drawing the territorial boundary.However, following discussions in October, the two sides agreed on surveying the Creek as a first step towards finding a permanent solution to the problem. Keeping with the timeframe, survey officials are now meeting before year-end to work out the details.The report of the survey has to be submitted during the next round of talks under the composite dialogue slated for the third week of January.
