Pak team to visit Chenab basin in J&K tomorrow
Islamabad, Jan 28: A Pakistani delegation will visit the Chenab river basin in Jammu and Kashmir for inspection from January 28 to 31, as mandated under the Indus Water Treaty, sources said.
Pakistan's Indus Commissioner Syed Mohammad Mehar Ali Shah will arrive in India along with his two advisers, sources said.
"This
tour
is
an
obligation
imposed
on
both
the
countries
by
the
Indus
Waters
Treaty
1960
between
India
and
Pakistan.
Under
the
Treaty,
both
the
commissioners
are
mandated
to
inspect
sites
and
works
on
both
the
sides
of
Indus
basin
in
a
block
of
five
years,"
a
senior
official
said.
Since
signing
the
treaty,
a
total
of
118
such
tours
on
both
the
sides
have
been
undertaken
by
the
commission.
The last tours of the commission in Pakistan and India were held in July 2013 and September 2014 respectively. No tour could be held so far in the current five years block which ends in March 2020.
World's highest bridge on river Chenab launched
This tour will be followed by a visit of Indian Indus Commissioner to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date decided between the two commissioners, the official added.
This tour was originally scheduled in October 2018 but later postponed because of local bodies and panchayat polls in J&K.
Under the Indus Water Treaty, waters flowing in three of Indus tributaries -- the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi -- have been allotted to India; while the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus waters have been allotted to Pakistan.