Latest news with #IndusWatersTreatyof1960
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
No plans for talks with Pakistan on suspended Indus treaty: India
India has no plans to hold talks with Pakistani authorities on the Indus Waters Treaty, which will remain suspended, two people familiar with the matter said on Thursday in the wake of a letter from the Pakistani side seeking a review of the matter. And India will continue to take independent actions on the Indus rivers on its side based on professional assessments of the country's needs by its engineers and is unlikely to respond to Pakistan's offer for talks on the now-suspended water-sharing treaty, a third person said. Holding the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance was among a raft of punitive measures announced by the Cabinet Committee on Security a day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 civilians. Even after India and Pakistan reached an understanding on stopping military actions on May 10 following four days of strikes and counterstrikes, Indian officials made it clear the punitive measures would remain in force. Also Read | Pakistan asks India to reconsider decision to suspend Indus Waters Treaty After Debashree Mukherjee, secretary in the Jal Shakti ministry, conveyed the decision on the Indus Waters Treaty to Pakistan's secretary for water resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, in an official letter despatched on April 24, the Pakistani side sent a response that laid out its position. Murtaza is understood to have said in the response that Pakistan considers India's decision to hold the treaty in abeyance as unilateral and a violation of the provisions of the pact, which doesn't allow for the exit of a party. The response is believed to have come in before the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7. The Indian side has no plans to engage with Pakistan on the Indus Waters Treaty despite the receipt of the response from the Pakistani side and this status will continue till Pakistan stops backing cross-border terrorism, the two people cited above said on condition of anonymity. Also Read | India's water will be used for India: Modi 'India's position was clearly outlined by the foreign secretary at the media briefing on April 23 when he said the Indus Waters Treaty will be held in abeyance 'until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism',' one of the two people cited in the first instance said. Since suspending the Indus Waters Treaty on April 23, India has held back all gauge and discharge data of the rivers from Pakistan's Indus commissionerate , which it historically shared under the pact, according to the third person 'These inputs are used by the neighbouring country to verify if India has adhered to the treaty but the treaty is now under suspension, which we have already intimated to Pakistan,' the third person said, confirming India is in receipt of a communication sent by Pakistan more than a week ago, in which it offered to start negotiations to revive the treaty. In its letter, Pakistan urged India to nominate representatives to participate in proposed negotiations on the treaty, the official said, adding that India is unlikely to respond to it as an official communication on India's reasons for suspending the treaty had already been sent last month. This position was also reiterated by external affairs minister S Jaishankar during a brief interaction with TV channels on the margins of an event to mark the opening of the embassy of Honduras in New Delhi on Thursday. Jaishankar said the treaty will continue to in abeyance 'until cross-border terrorism by Pakistan is credibly and irrevocably stopped', and that India is willing to hold talks with Pakistan only on the issue of terrorism. The people further noted that the Pakistani side had virtually rendered the treaty dysfunctional by routinely objecting to India's plans to build dams and hydropower plants and by not dealing with disputes in keeping with the methods laid down in the pact. 'Several provisions of the treaty signed in 1960 are obsolete because of developments and advances in the design and engineering of dams and hydropower projects but the Pakistani side has adopted a negative and obstructionist attitude by objecting to or questioning technical aspects of Indian projects with the intention of delaying them,' the second person said. The Indian side has sent formal notices to Pakistan on four occasions since January 2023 seeking the review and modification of the treaty through government-to-government negotiations as outlined in Article XII (3) of the pact, but the Pakistani side has sought to stall this by contending that the negotiations should be handled by the Indus Waters Commissioners of the two countries, the people said. In August 2024, India had served a formal notice on Pakistan for the review and modification of the treaty, largely because of Islamabad's intransigent approach towards handling disputes related to cross-border rivers. This notice was served under Article XII (3) of the treaty, which states that provisions of the pact may be modified by a duly ratified treaty concluded between the two governments. The people also said the role of the World Bank, which had brokered the treaty in 1960, is limited to appointing either a neutral expert or a court of arbitration for deciding on disputes related to cross-border rivers, and it cannot decide on larger issues such as keeping the pact in abeyance or proposed negotiations to amend the pact. The Indus Waters Treaty has not been amended since it was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960, by then Pakistan president Mohammad Ayub Khan, then Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and WAB Illif of the World Bank. At the time of independence in 1947, the India-Pakistan boundary was drawn across the Indus Basin, leaving Pakistan as the lower riparian state. The Indus Waters Treaty allocated the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, Chenab – to Pakistan, and the eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – to India. It allowed each country certain uses on the rivers allocated to the other. On May 5, India released water to the Indus basin 'outside the scope of treaty' to maintain safety of Indian dams, a second official said. Waters from the Baglihar and Salal dams on the Chenab river in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir were released as per professional assessments, a fourth official said Under the treaty's rules, India is allowed to carry out flushing operations only in the month of August but the two dams were flushed early this month based on safety requirements, according to this person. India will not share surplus/deficit flow data on the Indus rivers from July 1 to October 10 — mandatory under the pact — as there are no plans to resume communications between the Indus commissioners, the fourth official said. Since the treaty was kept in abeyance, India has not been transferring district and tehsil (sub-district)-level irrigated-crop area statistics for the western rivers for the ensuing kharif (monsoon crop) season, which India was required to do under the treaty. If India releases water during what are expected to be heavy monsoon months this summer, Pakistan could witness large-scale flooding, experts say. 'The flushing of Baglihar and Salal dam gates didn't have a very big impact downstream in Pakistan just yet, but there could be serious consequences in the coming months. India is well within its rights to suspend the treaty because of the disadvantages it was creating for India,' said Shashi Shekhar, former Union water resources secretary. On April 23, Union Jal Shakti minister CR Paatil had said India won't give a drop of water' to Pakistan, while PM Narendra Modi has said 'water and blood can't flow together'. Baglihar is a 900 MW hydropower project with a reservoir capacity of 475 million cubic metres. Electricity produced from its turbines feeds the grid in Haryana, which purchases the power through two distributors — Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam. Nearly 80% of irrigated land in Pakistan's breadbasket, including Punjab, depends on water from the Indus river system, which is also important for drinking and power. India is set to expedite work on six dams in the Kashmir region. These include Kishenganga, Ratle, Miyar Nallah, Lower Kalnai and Pakal Dul power projects aside from the Tulbul navigation project.
The Print
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Pakistan chastised for Pahalgam ‘false-flag' theory & ‘nuclear rhetoric' at closed-door UNSC meet
According to diplomatic sources, the UNSC members quizzed Pakistan on the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba in the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 tourists dead. Taking up the issue with the UNSC, Islamabad requested a closed-door meeting, which ended without a clear statement or official resolution. New Delhi: Pakistan's 'false flag' theory on the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam fell apart at the United Nations Security Council Monday, as the UNSC members chastised Islamabad for its escalatory 'nuclear rhetoric', ThePrint has learnt. The sources said that some of the UNSC members, specifically, raised the issue of targeting tourists based on their religion and 'expressed concern' over the missile tests conducted by Pakistan, of late. Pakistan, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, requested a discussion on the 'India-Pakistan question'. Its attempt to take the issue to the UN had also faced pushback from the Security Council members, who had been asking Pakistan to solve the issue bilaterally with India. Pakistan's term in the UNSC will finish at the end of 2026. Islamabad has received little international support after the Pahalgam terror attack. On 23 April, a day after the attack, India publicly announced cross-border linkages to the attack. It also imposed punitive measures on Pakistan, including holding the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance. Islamabad's permanent representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, raised the issue of punitive measures at the closed-door meeting, while briefing the UNSC members of 'threat of kinetic action' by India against it, said a statement published by Pakistan's foreign affairs ministry. The statement from Pakistan added that Ahmed warned the UNSC members that any attempt by India to obstruct or divert the flow of Indus would 'constitute an act of war'. India's diplomatic measures New Delhi has imposed several punitive diplomatic measures since the Pahalgam terror attack, including reducing the strength of Pakistan's High Commission in India to 30 from 55, as well as expelling the three defence advisers and also annulling the position. India also announced that all Pakistani nationals under various visa categories should leave the country by 1 May this year and closed the Attari border crossing. Subsequently, India has imposed more restrictions, banning the import of all goods of Pakistani origin, cutting the sending and receiving of parcels, and banning Indian flag-bearing vessels from docking in Pakistan. Also, Pakistani flag-bearing ships will not be allowed to berth at Indian ports. Islamabad announced its measures on 24 April, saying it 'shall exercise' the right to hold all bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement, 1972, in abeyance. However, it is, so far, unclear whether Islamabad has issued a notification on this. On 25 April, India officially notified Pakistan of holding the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. The closed-door UNSC meeting came hours after the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, made a public statement on the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, urging the two countries to 'avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control'. 'Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink. That has been my message in my ongoing outreach to both countries. Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution. And I offer my good offices to both governments in the service of peace,' Guterres said Monday. The UN Secretary-General has strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and called on bringing to justice the perpetrators through 'credible and lawful means.' On Monday, India's Ministry of Home Affairs called on several states to hold mock drills on 7 May due to rising tensions with Pakistan. The drills include making the air raid sirens operational and training civilians on the civil defence aspects so they can better protect themselves. New Delhi has received support from several international leaders, including US President Donald Trump, to find and bring the perpetrators to justice. Islamabad has received diplomatic support from Azerbaijan and Türkiye, with Baku calling for a 'transparent international investigation' to resolve the current situation. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: TLP chief tells Pakistanis to take up arms against India. People call him rioter & a sell-out
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Business Standard
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pahalgam attack: Pakistan urges emergency UNSC meet over India tensions
Under severe international pressure following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council for a meeting on the tensions with India. The United Nations Security Council will now hold closed-door consultations on Monday on the situation on May 5. Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, will deliver a statement at the Security Council stakeout area after the UNSC meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN said. In a statement shared on Sunday, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN stated, "In view of the deteriorating regional environment and rising tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which presents a serious risk of escalation and poses a threat to both regional and international peace and security, Pakistan has formally requested emergency closed consultations of the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, will deliver a statement at the Security Council stakeout area following the meeting on the afternoon of Monday, May 5, 2025." Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam. Russia is a permanent member of the UNSC and for the month of May Greece is chairing the 15-member Security Council. Apart from the five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US - the Council includes ten non-permanent members: Algeria, Denmark, Greece, Guyana, Pakistan, Panama, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Somalia. Earlier, the UNSC had condemned the Pahalgam attack, in a statement on April 23. "The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of India and Government of Nepal and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured. The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," the statement said. Following the Pahalgam attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post. India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. The central government also decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours. The Government of India also immediately suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals. Amid the ongoing tensions, India also imposed an immediate ban on the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, regardless of their import status, effectively halting bilateral trade flows, according to a notification by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Commerce and Industry's Gazette notification issued on Saturday reads, "In exercise of power conffered by Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, read with Paragraph 1.02 and 2.01 of the Foreign Trade Polivy (FTP) 2023, as amended from time to time, the Central government hereby inserts a new Para 2.20A in the Foerign Trade Policy, 2023 as follos with immediet effect." "Para 2.20A: Prohibition on Import from Pakistan. Direct or indirect Import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders. This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exception to this prohibition shall require prior approval of the Government of India," the Commerce and Industry Ministry's notification added.
Times of Oman
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
UNSC to hold closed-door meeting on India-Pakistan situation
New York: Under severe international pressure following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26, Pakistan has now urged the United Nation Security Council for a meeting on the tensions with India. The United Nations Security Council will now hold closed door consultations on Monday on the situation on May 5. Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, will deliver a statement at the Security Council stakeout area after the UNSC meeting on Monday afternoon, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN said. In a statement shared on Sunday, Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN stated, "In view of the deteriorating regional environment and rising tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which presents a serious risk of escalation and poses a threat to both regional and international peace and security, Pakistan has formally requested emergency closed consultations of the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, will deliver a statement at the Security Council stakeout area following the meeting on the afternoon of Monday, May 5, 2025." Earlier the UNSC had condemned the Pahalgam attack in a statement on April 23. "The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of India and Government of Nepal and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured. The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice," the statement said. Following the Pahalgam attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post. India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. The central government also decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours. The Government of India also immediately suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals. Amid the ongoing tensions, India also imposed an immediate ban on the direct or indirect import and transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, regardless of their import status, effectively halting bilateral trade flows, according to a notification by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Commerce and Industry's Gazette notification issued on Saturday reads, "In exercise of power conffered by Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, read with Paragraph 1.02 and 2.01 of the Foreign Trade Polivy (FTP) 2023, as amended from time to time, the Central government hereby inserts a new Para 2.20A in the Foerign Trade Policy, 2023 as follos with immediet effect." "Para 2.20A: Prohibition on Import from Pakistan. Direct or indirect Import or transit of all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan, whether or not freely importable or otherwise permitted, shall be prohibited with immediate effect, until further orders. This restriction is imposed in the interest of national security and public policy. Any exception to this prohibition shall require prior approval of the Government of India," the Commerce and Industry Ministry's notification added.
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Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Jaishankar thanks S Korean counterpart, stresses need to fight terrorism
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Tae-yul over the phone on Thursday. During the talks, Jaishankar underlined the need to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations. Jaishankar thanked him for South Korea's support and solidarity in light of the recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. In a post shared on X, Jaishankar stated, "Spoke with @FMChoTaeyul of South Korea this morning. Thanked him for RoK's support and solidarity in light of Pahalgam terror attack. Underlined the need to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations." The Pahalgam attack, which took place on April 22, left 26 people dead and several others injured after terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. Following the attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism and closes the integrated Attari Check Post. India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission persona non grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. Additionally, the central government decided to cancel any visas issued under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistani officials to leave the country within 48 hours. India has also suspended visa services for Pakistani nationals, effective immediately. All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals will stand revoked, effective from April 27, 2025, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs in a press release. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the country that the terrorists responsible for this attack, along with those who conspired to commit it, will face punishment beyond their imagination. Speaking at a gathering in Bihar's Madhubani on April 24, PM Modi declared, "The terrorists responsible for this attack, along with those who conspired it, will face punishment beyond their imagination," stressing that the time has come to eliminate the remaining strongholds of terrorism. "The willpower of 140 crore Indians will now break the backbone of the perpetrators of terror," the PM emphasised. He also affirmed that everyone who believes in humanity stands with India during these times. He further stated, "We will identify, track, and punish every terrorist, their handlers, and their backers, pursuing them to the ends of the earth. India's spirit will never be broken by terrorism, and terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure justice is served, and the entire nation is firm in this resolve against terrorism.
