‘Government must challenge India over River Sindh dam’
LHC issues notice to federal government on Kissan Board’s petition.
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the federal government to a petition challenging the government’s alleged negligence towards alleged violations of the Indus Basin Water Treaty by India.
The Kissan Board Pakistan filed the petition through its counsel Mirza Abdul Khalique.
The petitioner submitted that India had started building two dams on River Sindh in violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty.
Khalique said that the treaty barred India from building a dam on River Sindh, but the Pakistan government had apparently not taken notice of the violation. He said India had violated the treaty earlier too by building dams on the Jhelum and the Chenab, but the government “remained unmoved”.
He asked the court to direct the government to approach the International Court of Justice against India’s actions.
If the government did not act, he said, irrigated lands in Pakistan would become infertile.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the initial arguments and then issued notices to the federal government, the Ministry of Water and Power and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He directed them to file their replies within three weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2012.
The Lahore High Court on Thursday sought a reply from the federal government to a petition challenging the government’s alleged negligence towards alleged violations of the Indus Basin Water Treaty by India.
The Kissan Board Pakistan filed the petition through its counsel Mirza Abdul Khalique.
The petitioner submitted that India had started building two dams on River Sindh in violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty.
Khalique said that the treaty barred India from building a dam on River Sindh, but the Pakistan government had apparently not taken notice of the violation. He said India had violated the treaty earlier too by building dams on the Jhelum and the Chenab, but the government “remained unmoved”.
He asked the court to direct the government to approach the International Court of Justice against India’s actions.
If the government did not act, he said, irrigated lands in Pakistan would become infertile.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the initial arguments and then issued notices to the federal government, the Ministry of Water and Power and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He directed them to file their replies within three weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2012.