Pakistan marines on Friday opened fire on two Indian boats with five Indian fishermen onboard. According to TV reports, one Indian fisherman, Iqbal Abdul Bhatti was killed.
According to reports, the Pakistan marines fired at the Indian boat off the Gujarat coast. According to Times Now, firing occurred near Dwarka.
As per a report, Pakistan Navy fired on Indian fishing boat ‘Prem Sagar’ leading to the death of the boat master, who is said to be a native of Okha in Gujarat’s Dwarka district. According to TV reports, the boat was returning to Okha.
The Indian Coast Guard rushed two ships, the Vijit and the Meeraben to investigate the incident and launch a search operation, sources told. “The Vijit is escorting the fishing boat Prem Raj back to Okha. The fishermen on the boat will be debriefed to establish the identity of the attackers. GPS devices on the boat will also be studied.”
Sources said it is not confirmed yet whether the ship belonged to Pakistan’s coast guard, the Maritime Security Agency or MSA, as some early reports suggested.
Speaking to ANI, BJP’s Pon Radhakrishnan said, If a fisherman enters in their territory then he should be directed to Indian waters.”
The boats are being towed back to India by Coast Guards. There has been no official statement so far, either from Pakistan or India.
Details are awaited on the exact location of the encounter, as the sequence of events that led to Iqbal’s death is as yet unclear.