Indian fisherman killed in Pak shooting off Gujarat coast
19 Sep 2015
An Indian fisherman was killed when Pakistani forces fired at two fishing boats off the Gujarat coast today, according to media reports.
The dead fisherman was identified by ANI as Iqbal Abdul Bhatti. He was a member of the crew of the fishing boat Premraj.
About five fishermen were on the boats Premraj and Ramraj when they were targeted by Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency in the Arabian Sea.
India's Coast Guard deployed two of its vessels to the area where the fishing boats were targeted, the reports said.
The fishing boats had set sail from Okha town of Dwarka district on 8 September. The boats will be towed back to Okha by Coast Guard vessels.
India and Pakistan share a disputed maritime boundary in the waters off the Gujarat coast and the region is patrolled by vessels from both sides. Dozens of fishermen are arrested in the area every year for allegedly violating the boundary; but this is the first actual shooting in recent memory.
