ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Minister for Foreign Affairs Khawaja Asif has said that the Indus Water Treaty must be respected and defended as it is one of the longest treaty between Pakistan and India that even withstood wars and conflicts.
In his address at a Ceremony held at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad on Tuesday, Asif said that Pakistan and India share the waters of Indus River Basin which has been a major source of contention between the two states since independence.
The minister said that in order to resolve the disputes, both Countries signed Indus Water Treaty in 1960 with the help of World Bank which has survived over five decades of belligerence between the two states.
The foreign minister said that the World Bank should regard Indus Water Treaty as a broker to ensure the regional peace and balance of power between India and Pakistan. He said that violations of the treaty and changes in the demography of the shared water bodies with India will not be acceptable for Pakistan.
Khawaja Asif said that India is pursuing the long term patterns of hydel power projects that will affect the natural sharing of water.
“Indus Water Treaty is of paramount importance for Pakistan and we have our concerns over India’s expansion of Hydel Projects”, he said.
The foreign minister said that India has constructed various projects in violation of the treaty and did not provide their designs to Pakistan.
Moreover, Asif informed that the government has separated the two departments of Water and Power.
“We have a separate Minister looking after the department of water that shows our focus and determination towards the issue”, he added.
The minister also criticized the callous use of water that is being used domestically terming it as the “criminal” use of the natural resources.
“People must realize that we are not very self-sufficient in water and had it is not used carefully, Pakistan will be facing serious consequences in next 50 years”, he said.
In addition, the minister told that the government is building several Hydel power facilities on Neelum River to be more self-sufficient in coming years.
