ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting on “water diplomacy” on Thursday held consultations to deal with the challenges in effectively pursuing water diplomacy and to formulate strategies to address the water crisis, as Pakistan-India are expected to hold water talks in their annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission next month. The first meeting of the Working Group of Experts on Water Diplomacy was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, according to a statement of the Foreign Office.

The meeting was attended by Syed Muhammad Mehr Ali Shah, Indus Waters Commissioner, Sharmeen Tariq, water resources specialist, Farwa Amir, research analyst on energy, water and sustainability programme, and senior officials of the Foreign Office. The working group’s meeting was held to deliberate upon the challenges with regard to “water diplomacy” and to formulate effective strategies to address them.

Speaking on the occasion, Qureshi said that Pakistan is one of the countries suffering from severe water shortages.

As an agricultural country, he added that availability of water resources is of utmost importance for the agricultural economy of the country.

“We have to take effective measures keeping in view the regional, geo-political, economic and environmental factors to address the challenges facing water resources,” the foreign minister emphasised.

The meeting held ahead of the annual meeting of Pakistan-India Permanent Indus Commission next month in Islamabad, as Indian delegation led by India’s Indus Commissioner PK Saxena is likely to visit Islamabad next month for the talks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022