Jammu, Mar 12: The Jammu and Kashmir government today disfavoured scrapping of the Indo-Pak treaty on sharing of Indus waters owing to international obligations but said it would send an all party delegation to the Centre to seek compensation for recurring loss accruing to the state in honouring the decades-old pact. Replying to a private members resolution moved by Yogesh Sawhney seeking an assembly resolution to scrap the treaty, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said although he was in agreement with the spirit of the resolution, yet he did not favour abrogation of the treaty. Instead, he said, the state should lay emphasis on seeking compensation from the Centre on account of losses caused to it due to this treaty. Suggesting a holistic view on the issue, he said "we don't want to increase further tension between India and Pakistan in view of already strained relations between the two neighbouring countries but the state would make a strong plea with the Centre to ask Pakistan to allow the state to construct the Tulbul navigational lock at Wullar for storing water. Under the pact, the Indus and its tributaries have been categorised as eastern and western rivers with India having access to the eastern (Satluj, Beas and Ravi) rivers while Pakistan would have rights over the western (Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers).

Bureau Report