Pak moves to include water issues with India as part of Composite Dialogue

Pakistan's water disputes with India had been made part of Composite Dialogue, the Nawaz government has informed the Upper House of Parliament.

The move comes after the opposition questioned why it was in a hurry to give MFN status to India despite a number of unsettled disputes.

According to the Nation, the House, on a private members day, also passed a unanimous resolution calling on the government to include all water disputes with India in the Composite Dialogue or in any other talks or dialogue process.

The resolution was moved by Senator Syeda Sughra Imam after Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq, quoting Adviser to PM on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, said that the Pak government has made the water disputes with India as part of the Composite Dialogue.

Imam said the issue of water was very significant as it would be the requirement of 250 million people in Pakistan in the next two or three decades.

He added that even WTO countries were now discussing water as a trade item.

Haji Adeel termed the Indus Water Treaty as strange agreement and said that the River Indus had no link with India, the report added.