Share details of seizure of two boats: Pakistan High Commission to MEA

NEW DELHI: The Pakistan High Commission on Wednesday approached the Ministry of External Affairs to share details of seizure of two Pakistan boats and crew members on charges of carrying narcotics.

“Pakistan High Commission has formally approached Ministry of External Affairs to share details of seizure of two Pakistani boats and apprehension of their crew members this past weekend as reported by the Indian media,” Manzoor Ali Memon, Pakistani Press Attache in the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi said.

A boat carrying 232 kgs of narcotics with street value of Rs 600 crore was seized and eight Pakistani crew onboard were arrested in a joint intelligence-based operation by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard from international waters off Gujarat coast on April 20.

Navy sources said an input about a second suspicious boat was also received. “However, when we searched the area, no such boat was found,” they said.

Curiously, this is second case of unwarranted Pakistani boat in less than five months along the Indian coast. Earlier a Pakistani boat was blown up near Gujarat coast on December 31, 2014. A coast guard official was reprimanded for claiming that he ordered to blow that boat. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar clarified "rogue" boat had been set ablaze by the four "suspected terrorists" on it after being intercepted.

Unlike the last incident that occurred on the night of December 31st, the suspect boat did not offer any resistance after it was tracked down by Indian patrol boats. In the earlier incident, which resulted in the burning down of the suspect boat, the presence of the Indian Coast guard vessel resulted in a cat and mouse game.
Official said that last time around, the suspect boat was chased for several hours by the coast guard before warning shots were fired across the bow. This time around, officials said that he Pakistani boat appeared to be much more receptive to signals and alerts to stop. “They must have realized that we mean business. After tracking the boat, stopping it and bringing it to mainland was not a challenge at all,” a security official said.

Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan G Parthasarathy told ET that such attempts are part of ISI's strategy to weaken India from within. "Money generated from the drugs are utilised to fund terror," claimed the former diplomat.