Pakistan-India water talks to start tomorrow

Indian delegation to arrive today via Wagah border

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and India will hold talks in Islamabad from March 1 to sort out water issues between the two countries. A 10-member delegation of Indian water experts will arrive in Lahore on Monday via the Wagah border to resolve bilateral water disputes through the 117th session of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC).

The Indian delegation will be led by Indian Commissioner for Indus Water Pradeep Saxena while Pakistan will be represented by Indus Water Commissioner Commissioner Mehr Ali Shah.
Speaking on the matter, Mehr Ali Shah said that Pakistan objects to a number of projects India is undertaking. He mentioned the 624 MW Kiru hydropower project on the Chenab River, the 15 MW Mandi project on the Pooch River in occupied Kashmir, a 24 MW semi-culvert on the Indus River, and 19 MW Turbok Shewk, 25 MW Hunderman, 19.5 MW Sanko Hydropower project MW and Mangram Sangra on the River Indus from the list of projects Pakistan will raise during the water talks.

READ WAPDA chairman laments decline in water availability

Last year, the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul and 48 MW Lower Kalnai projects were also discussed during the talks. The commissioner said that the Indian delegation will leave for its home country on March 4 after the meeting concludes. It is worth mentioning here that the two countries meet annually to discussion cooperation on the Indus River system, as proposed under Article VIII of the Indus Water Treaty which the countries signed in 1960 with the intervention of the World Bank. According to the treaty, the commissioners must meet at least once a year in India or Pakistan.

The last time they met was during March 23-24, 2021, when a Pakistani delegation visited New Delhi. This meeting was held after a lapse of two years due to the tensions between the two countries following the attack Pulwama attack in 2019 and the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. While this was the official explanation, this paper reported last year that the delay had quite a lot to do with the lingering tensions between the two countries since India suspended the autonomous status of occupied Kashmir on August 5, 2019.

At the conclusion of their last meeting, which was reported to be held in a “cordial manner”, both sides had agreed to interact frequently to sort out their issues. Pakistan had also asked India to share the designs of its projects. To this, India had replied that the information would be shared as per the requirements of the treaty.