New Delhi: One fisherman was killed by Pakistan Navy on Friday when the latter opened fire at two Indian boats with five fishermen off the Gujarat coast.
Pakistan Navy fired on Indian fishing boat Premraj and Ramraj that had 5-6 fishermen onboard. The boats had set sail from Okha on September 8.
“One fisherman was killed in the firing today morning on a boat off Gujarat coast. Our team has rushed to the spot,” a senior Coast Guard official said.
The deceased, identified as boat master Iqbal Abdul Bhatti, is said to be a native of Okha in Gujarat’s Dwarka district. The boat was returning to Okha.
Asked about the alleged involvement of Pakistan’s MSA, the official said a probe is underway and it would be premature to draw any conclusion at this stage.
The firing took place near the International Maritime Boundary Line(IMBL), Secretary of National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) Manish Lodhari said.
“We learnt from the fishermen that several rounds were fired on the boat near IMBL at 9:00 AM. The fishing boat has been registered in Okha (about 500 km from Gandhinagar). A fisherman named Iqbal (40) has been killed in firing,” he said.
The Indian coastguard has rushed two ships, the Vijit and the Meeraben to investigate the incident and launch a search operation, sources said.
(with PTI inputs)