Indus Waters are not controlled by India: Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri

Newswire

Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week said the Indus Waters are not controlled by India.

“Absolutely wrong to say that Indus Waters are controlled by India. The Indus Waters are governed by the Indus Waters Treaty – an international Treaty arranged, negotiated & guaranteed by the World Bank,” he tweeted.

This month, the two-day 118th Permanent Indus Commission meeting between Pakistan and India were held.

The meeting is held annually under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) 1960. The Indus talks have survived the freeze in ties as both countries see it as mandatory under the IWT.

The Pakistani delegation includes Syed Muhammed, Mehar Ali shah, Sahibzad Khan, Habib Ullah Bodla, Saman Muneeb and Khalid Mahmood. India’s six-member delegation was headed by AK Pal, the new Indus Commissioner of India.

As per the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) 1960 – between Pakistan and India over sharing of the waters of the six rivers of the Indus basin – both the countries are to have Indus Commissioners, and the Permanent Indus Commission is to meet at least once every year, alternatively in Pakistan and India.

Of the six rivers in the Indus Basin, India has complete rights over three eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, while Pakistan has rights over the western rivers – Chenab, Jhelum and Indus.