India & Pakistan hold talks on Indus River Treaty after two and half years

NEW DELHI:

The annual meeting of the Parliament Indus Commission (PIC) between India and Pakistan started in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The meeting is an agreement between the two countries under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

The Treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation on the use of the rivers, known as the Permanent Indus Commission, which is looked after by a commissioner from each of the two countries.

Although the treaty warrants that the two countries meet once a year, the meeting was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to media reports, Islamabad has raised objections to power projects on the Chenab River.

It has further questioned the building of Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric plants by India.

"This will be an important meeting. We will engage with India following the IWT. We are hopeful regarding the meeting," Mehran Ali Shah, Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters, was quoted by ANI.

Earlier, the meeting between India and Pakistan was held in Lahore, Pakistan, in August 2018.

(Edited by Gabriel G Momin)

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