Standing behind Pillar No. 1175 of India-Pakistan border on the marshy land of a creek, not far from the Arabian Sea , you will need a little help from a jawan on duty to make sure that you don’t accidentally cross over to Pakistani soil.There’s no border fencing on the marshland that acts as the natural boundary between Gujarat and Pakistan ’s Sindh province. The Border Security Force ( BSF ) personnel, who guard the 85-km-long creek coastline, use all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) — ones that function like boats in water— and deploy Creek Crocodile Commandos specially trained for patrolling the difficultto-manoeuvre place.On full moon days, the entire creek area is submerged in the high tide, forcing the BSF personnel to take refuge in the Sawalapur border outpost (BOP) — the only highland amid the creeks. But bandi snakes (saw-scaled vipers), which are common in the marshland, also move up to the highland, turning the area into a man-snake battlefield. In the last three months, two BSF jawans had to be evacuated after snakebites.Following India’s surgical strikes on the launch pads of Pakistani terrorists across the Line of Control ( LoC ) on September 29, the creek area has been on high alert. There is no physical barrier in this area (unlike some 2,035 km of the 2,290 km India-Pakistan border that has barriers, including fencing).Here water channels flow to Pakistan, re-enter Indian territory and meander back to Pakistan, making it highly challenging from the strategic perspective. Further, Pakistan has been claiming Sir Creek , one of the five main creeks in the area, as its own, thereby turning this geography into a “disputed” zone — this is the only border except Kashmir where lines on the maps differ from the actual demarcation on the ground.After the 26/11 attack — when Pakistani terrorists seized an Indian fishing boat not far from the creek area to venture into Mumbai — the strategic importance of the creeks has increased manifold. After the recent surgical strikes, there is a suspicion that Pakistani terrorists in the garb of fishermen, perhaps with covert support of their armed forces, might use a creek to stealthily enter the mainland of Gujarat. The city of Bhuj, for example, is about 160 km from the border and there are localities like Dayapar, Narayan Sarovar and Lakhpat that fall within 75 km of the border.The BSF has not been taking any chances after the surgical strikes. On October 5, a week after the strikes, a single-engine, wooden fishing boat with nine Pakistani men was captured in Chauhan Nala, well in the Indian waters near border pillar G-43. Indian forces have seized 14 Pakistani fishing boats since January 2016, and many of the Pakistani “fishermen” are in Indian jails.“Now we have become much more vigilant. After all, there are thousands of fishing boats in the sea close to the IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line), and they are not very far from the creeks. On the face of it, they seem to be fishermen, but you never know. They may have a different motive.Terrorists may enter in the garb of fishermen,” says Ajay Kumar Tomar, BSF’s inspector general of police and head of Gujarat frontier.Tomar makes it clear that his forces on the ground don’t acknowledge Pakistan’s claim over Sir Creek, an issue which Islamabad took to the United Nations in the 1960s. “We are managing our border area with a very clear mind that India’s boundary with Pakistan extends up to the midstream of Sir Creek,” he clarifies.From the Indian side, Sir Creek — a 96-km-long estuary — is located in the northern most part of the creek area, the other creeks being Kori, Padala, Pabevari and Pir Sanai, on which India has undisputed control. Pakistani fishing boats, however, tend to enter Indian waters, in some cases lured by the prospect of a catch, disrupting normalcy in the region.Pakistan cites a 1914 Bombay government verdict of a dispute between the Rao of the princely state of Kutch and the then chief commissioner of Sindh province, to claim the entire Sir Creek as its own; paragraph 10 of the same verdict, however, terms Sir Creek a navigational channel. According to the thalweg principle of international law, the middle of a navigation channel between two nations automatically becomes the boundary. Tomar’s men on the ground are simply following the thalweg principle and guarding up to the midstream of Sir Creek by using floating BoPs, speedboats and other modes of patrolling, including mud walking by Creek Crocodile Commandos.This writer visited two border outposts, including a floating one, and also trudged across the marshland to get a sense of the difficult environment in which BSF jawans have been manning the border. (ET Magazine has refrained from asking BSF personnel on the ground questions about the location of the floating outposts and the strength of the forces and reinforcements deployed in the region; photographs too have not been shot inside any of the outposts.)A day in the marshland, however, is adequate to make one aware of the hardships the jawans face every day. Apart from snakes, scorpions and the illegal entry of Pakistani boats, what the BSF personnel face all the time are strong winds with high salt content, which leads to eyeburn and bone pains.Also, the phone connectivity in the border area is nil and the jawans are forced to shell out Rs 6 per minute when using the official satellite phones to connect with their families. The Creek Crocodile Commandos, who need to undertake mud-walking, feel the government must give them additional allowances for the tasks they perform.What has made the task of the BSF personnel even more difficult is a channel named — derogatorily but perhaps aptly — Harami Nala Vian Wari, a channel on the Indian side, moves northward and enters Pakistan, where it transforms into Harami Dhoro. It then turns towards east and reenters the Indian side, to once again become Harami Nala.On the Indian side, it then forks into two channels, one goes further up north, and a part of which reenters Pakistan. And that’s where the strategic challenge lies: what if a boat comes from Pakistan, offloads terrorists and then moves back into its territory?Beyond Harami Dhoro in the north, there’s Bondho Dhoro , located in the Sujawal district of Sindh province of southeast Pakistan. The other Pakistani district that borders Indian territory in the creeks is Badin. Sindh is bordered by Balochistan to the west and Pakistan’s Punjab province to the north.It’s a region where China has harboured its interests too. For instance, there is an embankment named China Bund, reportedly financed by China, just north of Bondho Dhoro. For now, India’s objective is straight and simple: guard the area till midstream of Sir Creek and plug the loopholes in the creeks, which could be exploited to send terrorists into Gujarat. And beyond.After India’s surgical strike across the LoC on September 29, guarding the creek area that separates India’s Rann of Kutch from Pakistan’s Sindh province has not been the same. While talking to ET, BSF’s Inspector General of Police and head of Gujarat frontiersaid his force has taken a number of steps in the area, apart from becoming much more vigilant post surgical strikes. Excerpts from the interview:There has not been any problem in the creek areas till now. We do see them (Pakistani forces) patrolling their side of the creek. Whenever we see any Pakistani boat crossing over to the Indian waters in any of the creeks, we catch them. This year we have captured 14 such boats. On the face of it, they seem to be fishermen, but you never know. They may have a different motive. Terrorists may enter in the garb of fishermen. They may come to get familiar with the geography of this area.First we question them and then hand them over to the local police. Then, the law takes its own course. Many such Pakistani men are in Indian jails. We are managing our border area with a very clear mind that India’s boundary with Pakistan extends up to the midstream of Sir Creek. We are patrolling the area and there is no confusion in our minds that we are dominating the area under our responsibility.The maritime boundary between India and Pakistan is not very far from this creek area. The terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008 came by boat. They caught hold of an Indian boat, Kuber, off the coast, not very far away from this area, and went all the way to Mumbai. After the Mumbai attack, we have built up more infrastructure in the area. Some decisions were also taken.Earlier, the BSF had no role in the coastal security of this area. In March 2012, the BSF took over the responsibility of coastal security along the creeks. We have deployed speedboats in the area. Our floating BOPs (border outposts) are in place. For us, day or night does not make any difference. The enemy may come anytime. However, beyond the creeks in the Arabian Sea, the Coast Guard and the navy keep vigil.I don’t want to speculate on their motives. But we are very clear on this. We are guarding India’s boundary up to the midstream of Sir Creek.It’s a very difficult terrain to operate for several reasons. First, most of the creek areas go under water during the high tide. During the low tide, the marshy land emerges with snakes, scorpions and the like. Walking in that area is not easy. Also, the whole landscape changes during the high and low tides that occur twice a day. So, the view in the evening changes from that in the morning.Then, the turbulence in the creek area is more than that of an open sea. Also, the humid climate and the salty terrain take a toll on the health of the jawans. So, it’s a challenging environment. After the Uri attack and the subsequent surgical strike by India, tensions on the border have increased manifold.We have taken a number of steps (after surgical strikes) which I won’t like to spell out. Yes, we have become much more vigilant. After all, there are thousands of fishing boats in the sea close to the IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line), and they are not very far from the creeks. A very important geographical feature in the creek area is a channel known by the name of Harami Nala.Starting from Indian side, it enters Pakistan and then comes back to India. So, it’s fraught with many possibilities. A channel coming from India to Pakistan and Pakistan to India and then again to Pakistan presents opportunities for miscreants. We have to be constantly on high alert around that channel.We are continuously on alert. But, let me tell you, we are effectively dominating the creek area. Our morale is high.