Indus Water Treaty: 117th Indo-Pak meet held in Islamabad
New Delhi: The 117th India-Pakistan annual meeting, under the aegis of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), concluded in Islamabad last week.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, PK Saxena, India’s Commissioner for Indus Waters, and his Pakistani counterpart Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah led the two delegations.
The two sides usually meet once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan, under the terms of Article VIII of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which they had signed in 1960 with the intervention of the World Bank.
They discussed technical aspects of ongoing projects, such as Pakal Dul, Kiru, and Lower Kalnai. India emphasized these projects fully comply with the Treaty’s provisions.
The PIC discussed the exchange of flood and hydrological data and the Fazilka drain issue. Pakistan assured it would take all necessary actions to ensure the free water flow from Fazilka into the Sutlej River.
The two commissioners reaffirmed their commitment to communicating more frequently to resolve issues through bilateral discussions under the Treaty.
The Indus River basin comprises six rivers: the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. It flows from Tibet through the Himalayan ranges to enter Pakistan.
After the Partition in 1947, they also divided the Indus River system as the two countries struggled to reach a fair water distribution system. They referred their dispute in 1951 to the World Bank for mediation and for funding of their respective irrigation projects.
In 1960. India’s then former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then-Pakistan President Ayub Khan signed it.
They will hold the next PIC meeting in New Delhi on mutually convenient dates.
(Venkatesh)
