On The Contentious Indus Water Treaty Between India And Pakistan, This Is What External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Had To Say

Picture : Twitter/ ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the Indus Waters Treaty is a technical matter and future course of action will depend on talks between Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan.

As quoted  by ANI  the External Affairs Minister said , ” It will not be right for me to speak publically about what is happening in Pakistan. This is a technical matter, Indus Commissioners of both countries will talk about the Indus Water Treaty. We can only discuss our future steps after that,” he said.

India issued notice to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of September 1960 after Islamabad’s actions adversely impinged the provisions of the treaty.

The notice was conveyed on January 25 through respective Commissioners for Indus Waters as per Article XII (3) of the IWT.

The objective of the notice for modification is to provide Pakistan with an opportunity to enter into intergovernmental negotiations within 90 days to rectify the material breach of the IWT. This process would also update IWT to incorporate the lessons learned over the last 62 years.

India has always been a responsible partner in implementing the IWT. Pakistan’s actions, however, have encroached on the provisions of IWT and their implementation and forced India to issue an appropriate notice for modification of IWT.

Highlighting sea-change in India’s foreign policy, Jaishankar said that the country’s influence has reached beyond the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

Speaking at the publication ceremony of the book “Bharat Marg” written by Jaishankar, he said, “Nowadays India’s influence has reached beyond the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, this is why I speak on history, big countries always think only about themselves, this is a deficiency in their DNA.”

Jaishankar was in Pune for the release of his English book “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World,” which has been translated into Marathi as ‘Bharat Marg’.

The Marathi version of Jaishankar’s book was released by Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis.