By IANS
New Delhi : Indian and Pakistani officials Thursday began two days of talks on building much-needed confidence between their coast guards.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) director general Vice Admiral Rusi Contractor led the Indian delegation at the talks. Maritime Security Agency (MSA) chief Rear Admiral Tayyab Ali Dogar led the Pakistani side.
The talks covered a broad range of issues on implementing the memorandum of understanding signed between the two maritime bodies on setting up a communication link and enhancing cooperation between them.
They also discussed related issues like the inadvertent straying of fishermen into each other’s waters, apprehending vessels, and preventing piracy and narcotics smuggling.
A MoU establishing a communication link between the ICG and the MSA was signed in November 2006 during the visit of Pakistan Foreign Secretary Riaz Mohammad Khan that led to the resumption of stalled foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries.
The maritime hotline seeks to facilitate early exchange of information on fishermen who inadvertently stray into each other’s territory and also information on smuggling, pollution and search and rescue operations.
More cooperation between the ICG and MSA could go a long way in mitigating sufferings of the fishermen of both countries as a large number of them keep getting caught after straying into each other’s territorial area as the international maritime boundary between them has yet to be ratified, officials said.