The ‘Sir Creek’ Dispute: Contours, Implications and the Way Ahead

Sir Creek, the 17th and last drainage branch of the river Indus, is a meandering riverine feature approximately 92 km (50 NM) long in the low-lying marshy region of Rann of Kutch. The Sir Creek boundary dispute between India and Pakistan is rooted in differing interpretations of the 1914 resolution passed by the Government of Bombay (GoB) or Bombay Residency. Pakistan claims that the international boundary runs along the east bank of Sir Creek, as depicted in the map appended to the GoB resolution (dotted line in Figure 1), whereas India claims that the boundary runs mid-channel on the ‘Thalweg’ principle, based on a more holistic interpretation of the related correspondence and the developments thereafter (dashed line in Figure 1).