The Indian Commissioner of the Permanent Indus Commission that looks after the everyday implementation of the Indus Water Treaty will hold meetings with his Pakistani counterpart later this month in lahore. This will be the first meeting between the two Commissioners ever since India suspended talks on the pact in the wake of the Uri attack, and announced to review the Treaty and exercise its rights over the waters.
Under the Treaty, India has full rights over the three Eastern rivers - Beas, Sutlej and Ravi - while Pakistan gets to use the Western rivers - Jhelum, Chenab and Indus- allowing India 20 per cent usage of their water for agriculture, generation of hydroelectric power, domestic and non-consumptive use and storage.
Sources in the government said the Commissioner is an independent authority and his holding talks with his Pak counterpart does not mean that the two governments are talking. The talks come following intervention from the World Bank urging both sides to meet. WB steps in as a mediator whenever the treaty faces trouble.
The Permanent Indus Commission is a bipartisan body entrusted with everyday implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty, which mandates it to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan. It comprises of Indus Commissioners from both sides and discusses technical matters related to implementation of the Treaty. It has met 112 times since 1960. The last meeting was held in India and now it is Pakistan’s turn to host the next meeting.
“The Indian Commissioner has accepted his counterpart’s invitation for the meeting to take place in the second half of March. Mutually convenient dates and mutually agreeable agenda are worked out directly by the Commissioners themselves and the Government has no role in this regard,” sources said.
Denying that this meeting is an indication in shift in India’s stand, sources added that regular meetings of the Commission deal with technical matters concerned with implementation of the treaty and do not amount to ‘talks’ between the two governments.
The Treaty came under duress after the terrorist attack at the Uri military camp following which India announced to go ahead with its stalled hydel projects on the rivers that flow into Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a meeting of top level officials of Indian government that “water and blood cannot flow together,” making it clear that the Treaty can only run on goodwill, trust and friendship which India feels is currently lacking from Pak side.
In November last year, India had pointed out the legal untenability of the World Bank launching two simultaneous processes for appointment of a neutral expert -- requested by India -- and the establishment of a court of arbitration -- requested by Pakistan -- to adjudicate technical differences between the two sides. In December, the World Bank announced a pause in the separate processes initiated by India and Pakistan to allow the two countries to consider alternative ways to resolve their disagreements.
last month during the meeting with World Bank official, Ian H Solomon, India had said it was even open to resolving its dispute with Pakistan through bilateral channels. World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva is currently in India after her visit to Islamabad.