Indus Waters Treaty: India bluntly amid dispute with Pakistan, World Bank has no right to interpret Indus water

The dispute between India and Pakistan regarding the Indus Water Treaty continues. In the midst of all this, India said that the World Bank does not have the right to decide on the appointment of neutral experts and to start the process of the Court of Arbitration. Last week, India issued a notice to Pakistan seeking review and amendment of the 62-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) for management of trans-border rivers following Islamabad’s “dogmatic attitude” in handling the disputes. Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said that I do not think they (the World Bank) are in a position to interpret the treaty for us. It is a treaty between our two countries and our assessment of the treaty is that it provides for a graded approach.

Months after the World Bank announced the appointment of a neutral expert and president of a court of arbitration to resolve differences on the Kishanganga and Ratle hydropower projects, India took the significant step of sending a notice to Pakistan and conveyed its intention to amend the treaty. Got it done New Delhi has been particularly dismayed at the appointment of the arbitration court. Responding to a question on the matter, Bagchi told a media briefing that India’s Indus Waters Commissioner had on January 25 issued a notice to his Pakistani counterpart to amend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. “This notice was issued with the intention of providing Pakistan an opportunity to enter into government-to-government negotiations to rectify its ongoing material violations of the treaty,” he said.

Bagchi said India called upon Pakistan to notify within 90 days a suitable date for the commencement of inter-state bilateral talks under Article 12(III) of the treaty. He said, “I am not yet aware of Pakistan’s response. I am not aware of any response or comment by the World Bank.” The role of the World Bank is procedural and it appoints neutral experts or president of the Court of Arbitration in case of differences between India and Pakistan on issues related to trans-border rivers.