Pakistan acknowledged on Thursday that India was regularly sharing updates on the flow of floodwater under the Indus Water Treaty between the two nations.
Foreign Ministry (FO) spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked at the weekly briefing on options for Pakistan if India refuses to accept the Court of Arbitration and its verdict on the Kishanganga dams issue and Rattle.
She responded by saying that the Indus Water Treaty was a gold standard of bilateral water treaties and served both Pakistan and India well.
India and Pakistan signed the treaty in 1960 after nine years of negotiations, and the World Bank was a signatory to the pact.
The treaty establishes a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding the use of the waters of various rivers.
In 2015, Pakistan requested the appointment of a neutral expert to examine its technical objections to India’s Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects (HEPs).
In 2016, Pakistan unilaterally withdrew from this request and proposed that a Court of Arbitration adjudicate its objections.
“Pakistan is fully committed to its full implementation. And we hope that India also remains committed to the Treaty,” she said.
India said last month it cannot be forced to participate in “unlawful” proceedings at the Permanent Court of Arbitration over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects in Kashmir after the Hague-based tribunal ruled it has the “competence” to consider the dispute between New Delhi and Islamabad in this regard.
India has been arguing that it will not join Pakistan’s proceedings in the Permanent Court of Arbitration as the dispute is already being examined by a neutral expert under the Indus Water Treaty.
“India cannot be forced to acknowledge or participate in illegal and parallel procedures not provided for in the treaty,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said in New Delhi.
Baloch, spokesman for FO, also said that following the recent extraordinary rains in India and increased water flows to Pakistan, especially the Sutlej river, “India has been sharing regular updates and reports on the discharge of water to Pakistan. , from July 9, as expected under the Indus Water Treaty.”
To a question, he said Pakistan was following developments related to the Indian prime minister’s visit to France, but declined to comment on possible defense deals between the two nations.
When asked about the Pakistan cricket team’s trip to India, he said that the Prime Minister has set up a committee to discuss the circumstances of the Pakistan cricket team’s participation in the World Cup.
“The committee will deliberate on this issue and once we have a result, we will make an announcement,” he said.
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