Pakistan on Thursday noted with concern the variation in the flow of the Chenab River, saying that a letter had been written to India seeking clarification on the matter.
In a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office (FO) Tahir Hussain Andrabi talked about the “abrupt variation” in the flow of the Chenab River, noting that it had been in the news in the past week.
“Pakistan views these variations with extreme concern and seriousness. They allude to unilateral release of water into the Chenab River by India, without any prior notification,” he said.
“Our Indus water commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matters in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty,” he said.
“Any manipulation of river flow by India, especially at a critical time of our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the life and livelihood as well as food and economic security of our citizens,” he said.
“We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by the Pakistani Indus water commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulation of river flow and fulfil its obligations in letter and spirit under the Indus Water Treaty provisions,” he said.
He further said that the Indus Waters Treaty was a “binding international agreement”, which had been “an instrument of peace and security and stability in the region”.
He said that violating the treaty threatened the “inviolability of international treaties and compliance with international law” and also posed a serious threat to “regional peace, principles of good neighbourliness, and norms governing interstate relations”.
“The international community must take notice of India’s continued disregard of a bilateral treaty, and counsel India to act responsibly and in accordance with international law and established norms as well as its own obligations,” Andrabi said.
“Pakistan remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and issues with India but will not compromise on the existential water rights of the people of our country,” he said.
More to follow
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