Pak signals willingness to engage on Indus Waters Treaty with India
New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) Weeks after India placed the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistan has signalled its willingness to discuss New Delhi’s long-standing concerns about the treaty, sources said.
According to the sources, Pakistan’s Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza has responded to the Indian government’s formal notification on the treaty’s suspension.
In the letter to his Indian counterpart Debashree Mukherjee, Murtaza expressed his government’s readiness to discuss specific objections raised by New Delhi.
He also questioned the legal basis of India’s move by pointing out that the treaty contains no exit clause.
However, the Indian government remains firm on its decision.
When contacted, officials from the Jal Shakti Ministry refused to officially comment on the development but government sources indicated that under the current circumstances, India’s position is unlikely to change.
The sources reiterated that the decision to suspend the treaty was prompted by “sustained cross-border terrorism targeting Jammu and Kashmir”.
