*LAHORE: Pakistan and India hold first ever talks under the new PTIgovernment in Islamabad.*

*Both are holding talks on disputed Indian hydropower projects in violationof Indus Water Treaty in Lahore on Wednesday.*

The talks are being held at the headquarters of the National EngineeringServices of Pakistan (Nespak). A nine member Indian delegation, led byIndian Water Commissioner, P. K. Saxena is in Lahore for the crucial talks.

Pakistani side is led by Commissioner for Indus Water, Syed Mehr Ali Shah.

During talks, Pakistan will reiterate its serious reservations overconstruction of 1000-MW Pakal Dul and 48-MW Lower Kalnai hydroelectricprojects on two different tributaries of River Chenab by India.

Indian Prime Minister Modi, on several occasions, has vehemently announcedto scrap Indus Waters Treaty, an agreement signed between India andPakistan in 1960.

The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) was formed under Indus Waters Treaty,it includes the Indus commissioners of both the countries. The treatyprovides for both the commissioners to meet at least once every year,alternately in India and Pakistan.

The treaty specifies that the waters of three eastern rivers namely Ravi,Beas and Sutlej, had been reserved for India while that of western rivers,namely Indus, Chenab and Jhelum, are for Pakistan. However, India claims ithas unrestricted rights to develop hydroelectric power projects on thewestern rivers, within the specified parameters of design.