‘Genesis Of The Issue Goes Back To…’: Jaishankar Tells TN CM Stalin In Letter, Bringing Back Focus On Katchatheevu

External affairs minister S Jaishankar this week assured Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of efforts to secure release of 34 Indian fishermen from the southern state who have been in Sri Lanka’s custody and told him that the genesis of the issue goes back to the 70s, without directly referring to the Katchatheevu Island issue.

The Centre accords “utmost priority” to the welfare and security of Indian fishermen, Jaishankar wrote in a letter to Stalin.

Stalin had written three letters to Jaishankar on June 19, 24 and 25, on the issue.

The external affairs minister said the Indian High Commission in Colombo and the Indian consulate in Jaffna have been expeditiously and consistently taking up such cases for early release of those detained.

“You are also aware that the genesis of this issue goes back to 1974, following an understanding between the then Union Government and the state government,” Jaishankar said.

The external affairs ministry said that S Jaishankar recently visited Sri Lanka and discussed issues of mutual concern and had extensive engagements with the leadership while discussing the issue of detained Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka.

On Friday, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, when asked about the provision mentioned by the External Affairs Minister in his response to CM MK Stalin, stated, “There is a historical context to this issue, which is what has been highlighted in the letter by the External Affairs Minister.”

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, the BJP raised the issue of the Katchatheevu Island. An RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai sparked a political storm and Prime Minister Modi launched an attack on the Congress party.

When asked to elaborate on the issue of Katchatheevu Island without explicitly naming it, Jaiswal said, “The External Affairs Minister recently visited Sri Lanka and had extensive engagements with the leadership, discussing all issues of mutual concern”.

“We should get fishing rights. We need to sit with Sri Lankan authorities and sort it out. Even today, our fishermen are being arrested and vessels are being seized,” Jaishankar has said in the past.

Katchatheevu is a small, uninhabited 285-acre islet located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, approximately 12 miles from Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram.

Until 1974, the island was undisputed, and fishermen from both countries used to fish in the surrounding waters.

In 1974, maritime boundaries were demarcated, and according to an exchange of letters between the two countries, India acquired Wadge Bank off Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari) from Sri Lanka in exchange for Katchatheevu.

This agreement ensured that rights to fishing, pilgrimage, and navigation, which both sides had historically enjoyed, were safeguarded.

In another agreement signed in 1976, the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) was extended to the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal. This agreement granted India and Sri Lanka “exclusive rights” to properties falling on their respective sides of the IMBL.