Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday contended that
a US Senate report had substantiated its concerns that India
is allegedly violating the Indus Waters Treaty by building
dams on western rivers.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said in a
statement that the US report "Avoiding water wars in South and
Central Asia," released on February 22, acknowledges that dams
India is building in Jammu and Kashmir "will limit supply of
water to Pakistan at crucial moments."
She said the report "only substantiates Pakistan's
concerns at the building of dams by India on the western
rivers in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty."
Janjua quoted the report, released by Senate Foreign
Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, as saying that
"studies show that no single dam along the waters controlled
by the Indus Waters Treaty will affect Pakistan's access to
water, (but) the cumulative effect of these projects could
give India the ability to store enough water to limit the
supply to Pakistan at crucial moments in the growing season."
Pakistan has conveyed its concerns to India through
the Office of the Permanent Indus Commission on "various
projects being built by India which the Pakistan Indus
Commission considers are not in conformity with the terms of
the treaty," Janjua said.
"These concerns are required to be addressed in a
sincere, forthwith and result-oriented manner," she said.
Differences over sharing river waters have emerged as
a major irritant in ties between India and Pakistan over the
past few years.
Islamabad has alleged that its share of waters are
being diverted by dams in Jammu and Kashmir though New Delhi
has denied the charge and said the levels of rivers have
fallen due to climate change.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 21:52