Pakistan vows to protect its interests under IWT

ISLAMABAD:

The Foreign Office on Friday said Pakistan welcomed the supplemental award issued by the Court of Arbitration on May 15 regarding the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects under the Indus Waters Treaty.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, while addressing his weekly media briefing, said the award reaffirmed Pakistan's longstanding position that the treaty imposed substantive limits on India's water control capabilities on the western rivers and clarified that operational assumptions for run-of-the-river projects must be realistic, evidence-based and supported by technical data.

Pakistan, he added, remained firmly committed to the Indus Waters Treaty and its dispute resolution mechanisms, while safeguarding its rights under the treaty.

The spokesperson said Pakistan had already taken up the deportation issue with the UAE authorities and remained engaged through bilateral channels to address any unjustified incidents.

He rejected reports of mass deportations, describing them as isolated incidents and added around 2,000 to 3,000 Pakistanis had been deported, which was a very small number considering the large Pakistani community residing in the UAE.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake an official visit to China from May 23 to 26 at the invitation of the Chinese government, as the two countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

He said the visit carried special significance as Pakistan and China commemorated 75 years of their enduring friendship and strategic partnership founded on mutual trust, respect and shared aspirations.

The spokesperson said the visit would provide an opportunity for both sides to reaffirm the strength of the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and advance their shared vision of building an even closer community with a shared future.

During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will hold meetings with Chinese President, Xi Jinping and Premier, Li Qiang.

The leadership-level engagements will review bilateral cooperation in political, economic and strategic fields, with particular focus on trade, investment, industrial cooperation, agricultural modernisation, information technology, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

The prime minister will begin his visit from Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, where he will chair the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Investment Conference focusing on information technology, telecom, energy, energy storage and agriculture sectors.

In Beijing, Prime Minister Shehbaz will attend a reception hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in connection with the 75th anniversary celebrations.

The spokesperson said the visit was expected to further deepen political trust, enhance strategic coordination and expand practical cooperation between the two friendly countries.

To a question, he said Iran and United States issue would also be discussed during the visit but the primary focus of the visit will be about the bilateral relations.

Referring to regional developments, the spokesperson said Pakistan had condemned the recent drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and expressed full solidarity with the two brotherly countries.

He termed any deliberate targeting of nuclear facilities a grave violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, the United Nations Charter and the principles of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stressing that nuclear installations must never be targeted under any circumstances.

Responding to a query regarding progress on Chinese-funded projects in Pakistan, the spokesperson said work on all such projects was continuing uninterrupted. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to ensuring the security of all foreign nationals in the country, particularly Chinese citizens.

Commenting on Pakistan's relations with Afghanistan, the spokesperson said ties were facing challenges primarily due to Pakistan's concerns over the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.