India cannot unilaterally revoke Indus Treaty, says Pakistan

Revisiting provisions would entail a violation of New Delhi's commitments and obligations under the existing treaty

Days after India decided to revisit the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan said that its neighbour cannot unilaterally revoke or make changes to the water-sharing treaty, which has been in force since 1960.

The Dawn quoted Nafeez Zakria, the neighbouring country's  Foreign Office spokesperson, saying, "The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) is not time-barred and was never intended to be time or event-specific. It is binding on both India and Pakistan and has no exit provision."

Zakria's made these comments during a weekly media briefing on October 6 where he called upon the international community to take note of India's claims as it would entail a violation of New Delhi's obligations and commitments under the existing treaty.  

According to the sub-provisions (3) and (4) of Article XII of the IWT, the treaty cannot be altered or revoked unilaterally, he pointed out.

"Pakistan is closely monitoring the situation and would respond accordingly," he added.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has also asked the Foreign Ministry to launch 'water diplomacy',  responding to India's threat of revoking the Indus Water Treaty.

 The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, was earlier heard saying, "Blood and water can't flow together." Modi made these remarks during a meeting last month, wherein India decided to revisit the 56-year-old river water sharing treaty and apportion more water to itself.

"There are differences on the treaty. For any such treaty to work, it is important there must be mutual trust and cooperation. It can't be a one-sided affair," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Vikas Swarup, said last month following the September 18 Uri terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 17 Indian soldiers.

Two more soldiers died later and India held Pakistan-based militants responsible for the killings.