The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday said the government has not changed its position on the Indus Water Treaty even as India is assessing the outcome of the last meeting of the Indus Water Commission, held in Pakistan on March 20-21.
The meeting of the commission after almost two years did not seem to have concluded on a positive note with both sides singing different tunes.
“They (Indus Water Commissioners) had detailed technical discussions.
“Our team has since returned and the deliberations and discussions at the meeting are being assessed. Let me categorically tell you that there has been no change in our previous position on any of the matters discussed at the meeting,” said Gopal Baglay, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
However, Pakistan has said that both sides will have a high-level meeting on the issue in the US on April 11-13.
“As I have mentioned earlier, the meeting of the permanent Indus Water Commission on March 20-21 in Pakistan is a mandatory Treaty requirement. So long as we are a party to it, to fulfil our obligations, we attend the Treaty-mandated meetings held at least once every financial year. The Commission is a bilateral body of engineers and technical experts,” he added.
Baglay also hinted at a possible resumption of dialogue between both sides but in an environment that will be “free from terror.”
This, he said, was mentioned in a letter sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the occasion of their National Day.
“Pakistan has to walk away from terror and we would like it to be effectively addressed by Pakistan,” he said.