Pak delegation reaches Jammu to review Hydroelectric Projects under Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan delegation arrived in Jammu to review the Hydro-projects in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir that include Kishenganga and Ratle Power Project.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the Pakistani team during its stay will inspect the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric power projects in the Chenab valley.

This is the first visit by a Pakistani team to Jammu and Kashmir in over five years under the 1960 treaty’s dispute resolution mechanism. The last inspection occurred in January 2019, prior to the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.

The Indus Water Treaty allocates the waters of the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers to Pakistan, and the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers to India.

In 2016, Pakistan requested the World Bank’s intervention regarding its objections to the design of these projects. Although Pakistan initially sought resolution through a neutral expert, it later pursued adjudication via a Court of Arbitration. India, however, has consistently favored neutral expert proceedings.

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed by India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan’s President Ayub Khan in 1960, established the Permanent Indus Commission for cooperation on river water usage. The treaty allocates the waters of the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers to Pakistan, and the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers to India.