Islamabad: A five-member Pakistani delegation will reach India on Sunday for two-day talks on the water issues between the two countries.
Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Muhammad Mehr Ali Shah is leading the five-member delegation that left for India via Wagah land border crossing on May 29 to take part in the meeting.
The dialogue will be held in New Delhi from May 30-31 to discuss issues related to sharing of water resources under the Indus Waters Treaty. Pakistan water commissioner Mehr Ali Shah said the two-day talks would be focused on “issues of sharing flood forecast data in the upcoming monsoon season as well as forecast information regarding floods in rivers coming from India.”
The Pakistani side would also raise its objections over India’s three mega hydel projects on River Chenab. However, the Pakistani delegation will not visit the under-construction Pakal Dul and Lower Kalnai dams this time.
Pakistan’s objections to Indian hydroelectric projects including Pakal Dul (1,000 MW), Lower Kalnai (48 MW) and Kiru (624 MW) in the Chenab basin and a few small hydroelectric projects in Ladakh are also expected to be discussed, according to local media reports.
Second meeting in 3 months
The recent meeting comes nearly three months after the meeting of Pakistan and India water commissioners in early March this year. They restated their commitment to implement the Indus Waters Treaty in its true spirit. The 10-member Indian delegation led by the Indian Commissioner for Indus Waters Pradeep Kumar Saxena attended the talks held in Islamabad.
Islamabad has concerns over the design and construction of Indian hydroelectric projects and upstream dams which the officials say violate the treaty. However, Indian officials say that the constriction of new projects is in line with the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
The treaty requires the two commissioners to meet at least once a year, alternately in Pakistan and India. The last meeting of the water commission was held in March 2021 in New Delhi.
Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India, brokered by the World Bank and signed in 1960, is considered one of the most successful international treaties that survived wars and continued conflicts.
