22 March 2017•Update: 22 March 2017
By Shuriah Niazi
NEW DELHI
India on Wednesday threw into doubt future talks with Pakistan over the distribution of water from the Indus river system.
Negotiators from the two countries met in Islamabad and Lahore on Monday and Tuesday to discuss three Indian projects on the Chenab River.
Pakistan’s Water Minister Khawaja Asif later said talks on two other Indian hydroelectric schemes would be held in Washington next month and Pakistani media reported it would be mediated by the World Bank.
However, reports in several Indian newspapers citing government sources said India was opposed to negotiations outside the Indus Waters Treaty’s dispute resolution framework.
The Times of India added that New Delhi has not received any formal communication about the suggested meeting.
India agreed to resume stalled talks on March 9 after suspending contacts over the Indus waters following an attack by Kashmiri militants that killed 19 Indian soldiers last September.
The 1960 treaty grants control of the eastern Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers to India while the western Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers fall under Pakistani control.
However, Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of violating the World Bank-brokered treaty by building dams on the western rivers, which all flow through Indian territory before reaching Pakistan.
India has complained that Pakistan benefits from a greater volume of water under the agreement.
Following the September attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatened to scrap the treaty and Pakistan warned that such a move would amount to a declaration of war.
