Pak acting as 'crying wolf': Defence experts on Permanent Indus Commission meet

With India all set to attend the meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission in Lahore, defence experts today said New Delhi will utilize the entire legitimate part of the rivers falling under the treaty and added that Pakistan, which has been acting as a crying wolf, should discuss the issue bilaterally.

Defence Expert Major General (Retd.) P.K. Sehgal said the treaty allows India to use 19.8 percent water of the western rivers.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has categorically made a statement that we will use that water irrespective of whatever may be the consequences. Pakistan has been acting as a crying wolf and has been going to the United Nations and elsewhere to seek arbitration," Major General (Retd.) Sehgal told ANI.

"India is giving a message loud and clear that we are keen to discuss everything that is part of the treaty and we do not want to do anything which is illegitimate and which is not indicated in the treaty," he added.

He emphasized that there are built in methods to deal with any dispute but Pakistan wants to go beyond that.

"We can bilaterally discuss it because we are going to use only what is the legitimate right of ours as per the treaty, which we have so far not used," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, another defence expert Sunil Deshpande said India has realized that it should utilize the assigned amount of water of the Indus River and must take advantage of the liberty which the treaty has provided.

"This particular issue must be raised properly in the meeting and we must utilize the water which we are authorized to," Deshpande said.

Flying Officer Shivali Deshpande on her part said that India should take a firm decision and make an attempt to utilize the water which is in its share.

"India has not been so far using the authorized water, but now the government is planning to utilize the water which is on India's side," she asserted.

India will be participating in the meeting of Permanent Indus Commission held in Lahore later this month. Sources said Pakistan forwarded the invitation to India to resolve the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

As per the provisions in the treaty, India can use only 20 percent of the total water carried by the Indus River.

The Indus Waters Treaty 1960 is seen as one of the most successful international treaties and has withstood frequent tensions between India and Pakistan, including conflict.

The development comes after the relations between the two nuclear-armed nations plummeted following the Pathankot terror attack that took place in January last year.