Pakistan seeks clarification from India over alleged variations in flow of Chenab

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday voiced concerns over the alleged variations in the flow of the Chenab River, saying it has written a letter to India seeking clarification.

"Our Indus Water Commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart seeking clarification on the matters in accordance with the procedures enshrined in the Indus Waters Treaty," Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said while addressing the weekly press briefing.

"We call upon India to respond to the queries raised by the Pakistani Indus Water Commissioner, refrain from any unilateral manipulation of river flow and fulfil its obligations in letter and spirit under the Indus Water Treaty provisions,” he added.

A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in "abeyance".

The IWT, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.

Andrabi said that any manipulation of river flow, especially at a critical time of “our agricultural cycle, directly threatens the lives and livelihoods as well as food and economic security of our citizens.” He reiterated Pakistan's stance that the IWT is a binding international agreement which has been an instrument of peace, security and stability in the region.

The spokesperson said Pakistan remains committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes with India but will not compromise on the existential water rights of its people.

He also strongly regretted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's act of publicly removing the 'naqab' (veil) of a young Muslim doctor, saying that his action risks normalising the humiliation of Muslim women in India.