India has served a formal notice to Pakistan seeking review and modification of Indus Water Treaty, PTI reported on Wednesday quoting sources.
A notice was issued to Pakistan on August 30 under Article XII(3) of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), stating that the fundamental and unforeseen changes in the circumstances require a reassessment of the pact.
The notification stated that there were fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various articles of the treaty, the report said.
Some of the concerns include a change in population demographics, environmental issues and the need to accelerate the development of clean energy to meet the emission targets. New Delhi also cited the impact of persistent cross-border terrorism as one of the reasons for demanding the review.
India has been pushing for the resolution of the dispute through the neutral-expert proceedings. With the latest move, India has called on Pakistan to begin government-to-government negotiations in order to review the treaty under the provisions of Article XII(3), the report said.
“In this regard, the World Bank has simultaneously activated both the neutral-expert mechanism and the Court of Arbitration on the same set of issues,” the source reportedly told PTI.
“The Indian side has, therefore, also called for a reconsideration of the dispute-resolution mechanism under the treaty,” they added.
What Is Indus Water Treaty?
India and Pakistan had signed the water treaty on September 19, 1960 after nine years of negotiations, with the World Bank being a signatory to the pact.
The treaty was signed at Karachi by Pakistan President Mohammad Ayub Khan and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and W.A.B. Illif of the World Bank in 1960. The treaty was, however, effective from April 1, 1960.
It sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two sides on the use of the waters of a number of cross-border rivers.
