Indus Water Treaty talks: Pakistan wants face-to-face meeting as India suggests virtual one

NEW DELHI: India has suggested to Pakistan that the talks for discussing pending issues under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) be held through video-conferencing in view of the coronavirus pandemic, but Islamabad says that the parleys should be conducted at the Wagah-Attari checkpost, foreign media quoting sources reported on Sunday.

In a letter last week, the Indus Commissioner of India told his Pakistani counterpart that it is not conducive to hold the meeting at the checkpost due to the pandemic.

On Pakistan’s request, a meeting was scheduled in last week of March to discuss pending issues under the Indus Water Treaty. However, it was deferred due to current pandemic.

Considering the fact that it may take some time for the situation to normalise and international travel to resume, the Indian Commissioner, in the first week of July, proposed to hold the meeting through video conference or any alternative means, sources said.

In response, the Pakistan Commissioner, in his letter sent in last week of July, insisted on holding the conventional meeting at Wagah-Attari checkpost instead.