India on Monday summoned a senior diplomat of the Pakistan High Commission to register a strong protest over the killing of a fisherman from Maharashtra’s Palghar off the Gujarat coast on Saturday allegedly by personnel of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency.

New Delhi has called for a probe by Pakistan into the firing on the Indian fishing vessel and asked Islamabad to instruct its forces to refrain from “such acts of unprovoked firing”, pointing out that the issue of fishermen is a humanitarian and livelihood matter.

According to India, the Pakistani agency fired upon an Indian fishing boat Jalpari on Saturday, resulting in the death of a fisherman and serious injuries to another. “The government of India condemned this deplorable action… which is in contravention to all established international practices and bilateral understandings,” sources said.

The boat, with crewmembers from Gujarat and Maharashtra, had set sail from Okha port in Gujarat on October 26, 12 days before the firing. Gujarat police said they were fishing off the Jakhau coast when PMSA personnel chased and fired at them.

Both countries detain fishermen who venture into the deep waters in search of a better catch as the boundary at Sir Creek is yet to be demarcated.

Sir Creek is a tidal estuary that separates Gujarat from the Sindh province in Pakistan. Often the detained fishermen spend years in prison though both countries recognise this as a humanitarian issue.