ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Senator Sartaj Aziz Tuesday said Pakistan would be sharing a comprehensive dossier with P-5 countries and the World Bank on India’s threats to revoke the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
“IWT is an international agreement and India cannot revoke it. But, it can take other measures by misusing certain provisions of the treaty to stop Pakistan’s share of water defined in the treaty,” he said while speaking in the Senate.
“We shall share the dossier with P-5 countries, World Bank and others asking them to pressurize India to avoid revocation otherwise consequences are very clear,” he added.
The House had started discussing the issue when Chairman Raza Rabbani presented his observation to the House on this matter. The members took serious note of Indian threats to revoke IWT and said such an act would be considered an act of war.
The Advisor explained to the House that after reluctance by the Indian Supreme Court to entertain an application in this regard, there was a possibility that India does not revoke the agreement fully.
“But, we shall have to prepare for violation of provisions in the treaty to construct run-of-the-river dams. India may violate these provisions to block our share of water.”
Sartaj Aziz said IWT was an international agreement and India could not revoke it unilaterally and if it happened it would be considered an act of war. However, India could can use other tactics by misusing certain provisions and construct structures which were not permissible under the agreement.
He said the Indus Commission and the ministry had been asked to brief on this issue and an inter-ministerial group had been formed to identify possible misuse or interference into treaty by India.
