ISLAMABAD – Pakistan on Thursday called upon the World Bank to set up itsCourt of Arbitration under Indus Water Treaty after India hinted ofrestricting the flow of water into Pakistan from its share of rivers.
Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal, at a weekly press briefing,said contrary to India’s reluctance, Pakistan favored the continuity ofTreaty and also the smooth functioning of its dispute resolution mechanism.
India’s Minister of Water Resources and Shipping Nitin Gadkari on Thursdaysaid New Delhi will stop Pakistan’s share of water as allocated under theIndus Water Treaty.
Minister Gadkari also announced that “India was not bound to follow theTreaty and had plans to divert the water flow to Punjab, Haryana andRajasthan”.
The FO Spokesman said Indus Water Treaty was mutually agreed upon betweenPakistan and India, however India violated it by constructing Kishangangaand the under-progress Ratley hydroelectric projects.
Under the Indus Water Treaty signed in 1960, Islamabad has unrestrictedaccess to the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – while New Delhienjoys the same authority over the eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
On Afghan peace process, he said Pakistan supported dialogue and politicalsolution of Afghanistan with focus on “Afghan-led and Afghan-ownedapproach”.
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He said Pakistan urged all the stakeholders to converge their energies onnegotiations to avoid conflict in the already war-torn country.
On chances of meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi andIndian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the upcoming ShanghaiCooperation Organization moot on May 21-22 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, he said“informal handshake could be a possibility, however there is no meetingscheduled so far”.
The FO Spokesman confirmed that Aasia Bibi, the woman acquitted by theSupreme Court on charges of blasphemy, had left Pakistan on her own freewill. However, he did not specify which country she had moved to.
Owing to chaotic situation in Libya, he said Pakistan’s mission was intouch with the representatives of Pakistani community and had advised themto register with the embassy for prompt coordination in case of anyemergency situation.
On recent detention of some Chinese citizens by Federal InvestigationAgency on charges of human trafficking, the Spokesman declined to comment,saying the matter pertained to Ministry of Interior.
