It starts from Chitral

This refers to the article ‘A Pak-Afghan water treaty?’ (July 9) by Mashood Hassan Azam Awan. It carries incomplete information regarding River Kabul. A Pak-Afghan bilateral agreement on water-sharing and water management of River Kabul is much needed. However, my concern is over the incomplete information on the river. That River Kabul originates from the Sanglakh Range of the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan is partially correct. The total capacity of the river is 21 billion cubic metres of water which flows from Afghanistan. This flow includes nearly 15 billion cubic meters of water from River Kunar which originates in Chitral, Pakistan.

River Chitral – also known as River Kunar in Afghanistan – joins River Kabul a few miles short of the Pak-Afghan border and makes 71 percent of the total River Kabul flow. This strengthens Pakistan’s case in any future agreement with Afghanistan. However, there is no mention of River Chitral (River Kunar) in the article. This shows the lack of basic research on the matter and needs to be taken care of in the future.

Prof Dr Shabir Ahmad Khan

Peshawar