A Pakistani boat with nine crew members has been seized by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) after it tried to illegally tried to enter Indian waters, said officials on Thursday. The boat, which is being brought to Porbandar, was inside Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line on January 14 (Wednesday) when it was seized by the officials.
When challenged, the crew members on the Pakistani boat tried to flee, but the Indian Coast Guard seized the boat in the Arabian Sea and detained them.
"The boat is being towed to Porbandar by ICG Ship for thorough rummaging and joint interrogation by concerned agencies," the Indian Coast Guard said in a statement. "The operation reaffirms coast guard unwavering commitment to secure Bharat’s maritime frontiers through relentless vigil and law enforcement across the nation’s maritime domain."
11 Pakistanis detained
The Indian Coast Guard had detained a Pakistani fishing boat inside India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in December last year as well and detained all of its 11 crew members. According to the officials, the boat was illegally operating in the Indian waters. They were later handed over to the Jakhau Marine Police in Gujarat for further investigation.
Tensions have remained high between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, last year that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. Since then, Indian forces have remained on alert all along India's land sea borders with Pakistan.
Recently, some drones were also spotted along the Line of Control (LoC) in several areas of Jammu and Kashmir after which a meeting was held between Director General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both sides. Later, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan of consequences if it attempts any misadventure. The top Indian leadership has also pointed out that Operation Sindoor has only been paused and can be restarted again if needed.
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