Indus meet kicks off, troubled waters settle

The commission is expected to continue its deliberations for the next two days. The Pakistan delegation is scheduled to depart on June 1. The treaty, signed in 1960 under the auspices of the World Bank permits, India to use the waters of Sutlej, Ravi and Beas while Pakistan is allowed to develop irrigation facilities on Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers. Experts say the treaty has worked well for the last four decades despite three wars.

The six-member delegation which arrived yesterday from Pakistan seemed slightly taken aback by all the attention they were receiving. They pointed out that under the Vienna Convention, it’s obligatory for both countries to honour the treaty — a key element of which is the annual review.‘‘We had no doubt that the meeting would take place. We were expected that it might be postponed,’’ said Ross Masud, one of the advisors.

They said that there was outrage in the Pakistani media after a statement by the Jammu and Kashmir government that the country was considering abrogating the treaty. However, they said they were confident that the meeting would take place as per schedule. ‘‘After all it is a very sound treaty and has survived crisis situations in the past,’’ added Masud.

According to members of the delegation, Pakistan was experiencing severe drought in the last two years, and the demand for water far outweighed the supply. Pakistan largely depends on these three rivers for their entire water supply. ‘‘The treaty makes no provision for extra water. We have to depend on our own storages,’’ said Mamon.

The Ministry of Water Resources in its official statement on the 87th meeting too described it as a ‘routine exercise’ held at least once every year.