Pakistan has conscientiously responded to India’s notice sent regarding the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) 1960, stating that it is prepared to hear New Delhi’s concerns at the level of the Permanent Commission of Indus Waters (PCIW), according to local media reports which cited sources in the attorney general’s office.
Before the hearing of the Court of Arbitration in The Hague on January 27–28, India had sent Pakistan a notice on January 25 asking for changes to the treaty. India has prolonged the notice by using Article 12 of the treaty.
According to the officials, Pakistan was willing to discuss the treaty with India and address any objections at the level of the Permanent Commission of Indus Waters (PCIW). They claimed that because Pakistan is a lower riparian nation and India is an upper riparian, the former cannot materially violate or defy the terms of the Indus Water Treaty.
The authorities added that Pakistan will decide on the negotiations for treaty modifications after hearing India’s concerns at the PCIW level.
According to Article 12 of the agreement, the parties to the dispute—Pakistan and India—must work bilaterally to bring about changes to the deal before it may be modified.
The official added that Pakistan did not violate the Indus Waters Treaty in any major way, making the Indian notice to modify the IWT unwarranted because it would jeopardize the integrity of the current treaty between the two nuclear-armed nations.mir
