Pakistan says India cannot misuse Indus Water Treaty allowance

Pakistan on Thursday (January 1) claimed that India was not allowed to misuse its restricted allowance of water as per the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). The treaty has been put under abeyance by India following the Pahalgam terror attack.

The remarks were made by Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain at the weekly press briefing. He was responding to a question about India's approval of the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Kashmir.

In a series of punitive measures following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India put the 1960s IWT in “abeyance.” The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.

Pak concerned over hydroelectric project

“We have seen these media reports regarding Indian plans to construct the Dulhasti Stage-II hydroelectric [project] on the Chenab River. Obviously, these reports raise serious concerns as no prior information or notification was shared with Pakistan about this project,” Andrabi said.

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Elaborating further, Andrabi said that Pakistan sought information from India regarding reported projects which it was planning to undertake.

“The Pakistani commissioner for Indus water has sought clarification from his counterpart in India regarding the nature, scope and technical details of the reported projects, and he also wishes to ascertain whether this constitutes a new run-of-the-river project, an alteration or additional work on an existing plant,” he said.

'IWT remained a binding international agreement'

The spokesperson noted that under the IWT, India could not misuse its “restricted allowance” for unilaterally building any hydroelectric projects on the western rivers.

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He said that any project on the western river is subject to strict design and operational controls as well as information sharing with Pakistan.

Andrabi reiterated that IWT remained a binding international agreement, adding that Pakistan remained committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes with India but would “never compromise on our existential water rights”

(With agency inputs)