India on Thursday said it has received a response from Pakistan to its notice sent two months ago to review the 62-year-old Indus Water Treaty.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi told reporters that Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has sent a letter dated April 3, written by Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner to his Indian counterpart.
He said, “We are looking into this letter. We will consult with our stakeholders about this.
It may be noted that India and Pakistan had signed the treaty in 1960 after nine years of talks. The World Bank was also among the signatories of this treaty.
India had sent a notice to Pakistan on 25 January to amend the Indus Waters Treaty of September 1960.
Meanwhile, unnamed officials have been reported in Pakistani media that Pakistan has said in its letter that it is ready to take note of India’s concerns regarding the treaty.
Significantly, according to this treaty, except for some exceptions, India can use the water of the eastern rivers without restriction.
India was given the right to use the water of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers for transportation, electricity and agriculture under the provisions related to India.
The notice to Pakistan is understood to have been sent by India in view of the neighboring country sticking to its stand on resolving differences on the issue related to the Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects.
This notice has been sent under the provisions of Article 12(3) of the Indus Water Treaty.
In 2015, Pakistan requested the appointment of a neutral expert to investigate technical objections to the Indian Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects.
In 2016, Pakistan unilaterally withdrew from this request and proposed to take these objections to the Court of Arbitration.
India had made a separate request to send a neutral expert on the matter. India believes that simultaneous initiation of two processes on the same question and the possibility of inconsistent or contradictory results would create an unprecedented and legally untenable situation, which could jeopardize the Indus Waters Treaty.
India had sent a notice to Pakistan on 25 January to amend the Indus Waters Treaty of September 1960. The notice is believed to have been sent to Pakistan for the first time because of its stand on non-compliance with the dispute settlement mechanism linked to the implementation of the six-decade-old treaty.
