Monday, May 30 2005 07:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: Maintaining that "the Sir Creek was an Indian territory", Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi yesterday (May 29, 2005) urged the Centre to "look carefully" into the matter and the Sindh river issue involving neighbouring Pakistan.

"The Sir Creek is an Indian territory and the Centre should not give it away to Pakistan during its dialogue on the issue," Modi said during a meeting of State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders at a function organised for the new State unit president Vaju Vala officially taking over the reins, party sources said.

Incidentally, the Centre yesterday ended without any headway two days of talks at Islamabad with Pakistan on the Sir Creek issue, located on the coastal strip of Gujarat in Kutch district.

Modi further said the Centre should keep "the priority of the people of Kutch in mind while talking on the Sindh river issue with Pakistan".

The benefit of the river should first go to the people of Kutch, then to the State of Gujarat and then the nation, Modi added.