ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office Friday said that all issues related to water would be discussed between Pakistan and India in two-day talks between the water commissioners of the two countries scheduled to be held in New Delhi from March 23-24, 2021.
Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri told his weekly media briefing that the meeting of the Indus Water Commissioners of Pakistan and India will begin in New Delhi on Tuesday next and Pakistani delegation will be led by Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Mehr Ali Shah.
He said that a host of issues under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) including Pakistan’s objections on the designs of Pakkal Dal and Lower Kalnai hydropower plants, supply of information on new Indian projects on the western rivers and supply of flood data by India will be discussed in the meeting.
He said that Pakistan delegation would also include relevant officers from concerned ministries and departments, adding that the focus of the talk would only on water related issues.
Commenting on Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla’s statement that ‘Pakistan should create a conducive atmosphere for meaningful dialogue,’ Chaudhri said “such statements are indeed not helpful in resolution of disputes which are a hurdle in the way of peace and stability in the region.”
“Such Indian statements are reflection of India's consistent denial and self serving state of denial with regard to Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute. The entire world knows that it is the core dispute between Pakistan and India,” he added. He said Pakistan has always underscored the need for a meaningful dialogue and peace resolution of all outstanding disputes with India, adding that the current situation in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir is neither tenable nor acceptable. “India will have to take corrective measures in the occupied territory to move forward. The onus, therefore, is on India to create an enabling environment for a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan,” he asserted.
Asked whether the recent ‘positive’ gestures from both the sides was because of any possible policy change towards India, he said that Pakistan’s Kashmir policy reflects in its policy towards India ‘which has not been changed’.
“There is no change in Pakistan's Kashmir policy…Pakistan has always desired resolve all outstanding issues with India through meaningful dialogue, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir to be resolved as per the UN Security Council resolutions,” he added.
Responding to another question with regard to United States missing of the deadlines for the troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan as per the peace agreement with the Taliban, the spokesperson said that Pakistan is in favour of the orderly troops withdrawal from Afghanistan so that no vacuum of instability is left behind in the neighbouring country.
About the Afghan peace talks in Moscow on Thursday, he said that Pakistan was represented by special representative on Afghanistan Ambassador (retd) Mohammad Sadiq in the talks which was also participated by the US, China, Russia, besides a 10 member delegation each from Afghan government and the Taliban. Turkey and Qatar attended the meeting as ‘special guests’.
“Pakistan believes that without peace, our shared dream of connectivity, economic development and prosperity of our peoples and the region will not be materialized,” he said, adding that the international community needs to remain engaged in Afghanistan and help the country at this critical juncture. He said that Pakistan strongly support the peace process and stability in Afghanistan. To another query as to whether the issue of visas for Pakistanis by Kuwait also came under discussion during Thursday’s meeting between Foreign Minister Qureshi and his Kuwaiti counterpart, the spokesperson, without giving further details, said that the issue was discussed and a “progress” was also made on it.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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