Islamabad, May 2 (UNI) Following New Delhi’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has decided to issue a formal diplomatic notice to India.
According to The Express Tribune, the decision was made after constant deliberations between the Foreign Ministry, Law Ministry, and water departments.
Various emergency, legal, and constitutional consultations have reportedly been held by Pakistan, in response to India’s unilateral move, with the preliminary groundwork for the notice complete.
Officials confirmed that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Water Resources, and Law have coordinated to finalise the process, and a formal notice will be issued to New Delhi within the coming days through diplomatic channels.
Sources within the Indus Commission said the notice will seek concrete explanations from India for suspending the landmark 1960 treaty, which governs water sharing between the two countries.
The 1960 treaty allocates rights over the western waters of the Indus Basin to Pakistan and the eastern side to India. However, since the treaty was majorly favourable for Pakistan, as it controlled over 80% of the water flow from the Indus system, India has for years been asking to renegotiate the treaty.
Over the years, India has initiated several mega projects along the Indus River. These include the Pakal Dul hydropower project, and the Baglihar Dam in Jammu & Kashmir. While all these projects have been opposed by Pakistan, India has maintained that these have been done under the dictates of the treaty.
With India suspending the IWT, there are several deliberations underway in Pakistan to lodge formal protests at global forums, aiming to highlight what it describes as "Indian water aggression" on the international stage.
Following the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 in Jammu & Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were gunned down, India has retaliated by scrapping the IWT, declaring all military advisors to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi persona non grata, recalling its own advisors from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. India has also thinned its diplomatic staff, shut down the Attari border, expelled all Pakistanis in India save diplomatic staff, and more recently, given full operational freedom to the Indian military.
Pakistan has also retaliated, by suspending the 1972 Shimla agreement, stopping overflight by Indian aircraft, expelling Indian citizens etc.
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