Pakistan asks India to stay committed to IWT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Thursday said it expected India to remain committed to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and if there was any issue, then the mechanism of Indus Commissioners was where all issues pertaining to this Treaty could be discussed.

India recently approached Pakistan demanding “reassessment” of the Treaty, as the demand for water had greatly enhanced in India from the time the Treaty was signed.

“Indus Waters Treaty is an important treaty that has served both Pakistan and India well over the last several decades. We believe it is the gold standard of bilateral treaties on water sharing; Pakistan is fully committed to its implementation. We expect India to also remain committed to the treaty. Pakistan believes it is our collective responsibility to maintain ecological balance, protect our environment and avoid measures which may have adverse implications for the environment,” responded the Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during the weekly media briefing.

To a query about the social media reports that Pakistan was going to give China some militarized naval bases and China had proposed joint anti-terror cooperation, the spokeswoman rejected outright these reports. “This speculation is completely unfounded and we reject it. There is absolutely no basis for these speculations. Pakistan has no plans to offer bases to a foreign government or military directed against any other country,” she said.

A query was raised regarding the visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks on Wednesday in which he pointed out that Russia would like to see Pakistan as part of BRICS. “We believe that as a developing country, we are qualified to play an important role in this organization. We believe it is a bit premature to start discussing the timelines at this point. We believe as a grouping that claims to represent developing countries and professes inclusive multilateralism. BRICS will move ahead to live up to its claims of inclusive multilateralism and accept inclusion of Pakistan,” added the spokeswoman.

She reiterated Pakistan’s position on terror attacks on its territory and pointed out that any terror groups or entities or individuals based in Afghanistan that continue to threaten Pakistan’s security must be stopped from their activities directed against the security of Pakistan, especially since the Afghan authorities were aware who these individuals were. “We believe it is a responsibility of the Afghan authorities to ensure that these groups and outfits do not threaten Pakistan’s security. We have shared concrete evidence of the involvement of these entities in terror attacks in Pakistan, and we expect the Afghan authorities to take action against those individuals who are responsible for these terror attacks. They know the location of these individuals and entities inside Afghanistan,” she said.

Meanwhile Pakistan strongly condemned this week’s attacks in Lebanon carried through detonation of electronic equipment, which Hizbullah says was its biggest security breach ever. “Use of cyber and electronic means to commit terrorism in foreign countries is reprehensible. We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the people and the Government of the Republic of Lebanon,” said the spokeswoman.

Pakistan also welcomed the United Nations General Assembly Resolution to turn the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice into action. The draft resolution presented by the State of Palestine was co-sponsored by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the high-level segment of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York from 23rd to 27th September 2024. He will be accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and senior government officials. The prime minister will attend several high-level meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA Session including the “High-Level Meeting on Existential Threat posed by Sea-level Rise” and the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on “Leadership for Peace”. His programme will also include bilateral meetings with world leaders; meetings with the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly; and members of the Pakistani diaspora.