Islamabad, Aug 30: Pakistan foreign minister Khawaja Asif has said that the government had conveyed its reservations regarding the construction of hydro-electric and storage projects by India in occupied Kashmir.
“India has been displaying belligerence by designing water projects that violate the treaty thus denying Pakistan of its waters,” Radio Pakistan quoted Asif as saying.
The minister urged the World Bank to play its due role in resolving the issue, claiming New Delhi was deliberately delaying the negotiations.
“Pakistan has always expressed its willingness to resolve all issues with India including the water distribution problem through dialogue,” he maintained.
The treaty between Pakistan and India was signed by President Ayub Khan and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on September 19, 1960. Touted as a milestone in the history of international water diplomacy, the treaty is a 57-year-old accord between the two neighbours on how to share water from the rivers that flow through their territory.