In Vienna, a two-day meeting was convened by a neutral expert to addressthe enduring water dispute between Pakistan and India. India’s leadcounsel, senior advocate Harish Salve, represented India during themeeting, which took place at the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
This meeting was organized at India’s request under the framework of theIndus Waters Treaty and saw the participation of representatives from bothnations. Earlier this year in July, the Permanent Court of Arbitration(PCA) had dismissed India’s objections to its jurisdiction over the waterdispute related to two significant hydropower projects.
The PCA affirmed its competence to address matters concerning theKishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects, which have long beencontentious issues between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. This rulingfollowed a protracted legal battle between India and Pakistan, which alsohave various other disputes, including territorial and maritime conflicts.Both countries share the waters of six rivers under the Indus Waters Treaty(IWT), an agreement mediated by the World Bank in 1960.
According to the IWT, the waters of the eastern rivers are allocated toIndia (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi), while the western rivers go to Pakistan(Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab). Pakistan has accused India of continuoustreaty violations through the construction of dams on the western rivers,while India maintains concerns about water control under the treaty.
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Additionally, India has ongoing water disputes with China, particularlyrelated to dam construction and proposed changes to the Brahmaputra River’sflow, which originates in Tibet and serves a substantial portion of India’sirrigation needs.
