Indus Commissioner of India, Pakistan on 23–24 March

The Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan will meet here on 23 and 24 March to discuss a range of issues, including concerns about the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab River in Islamabad.

This will be the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission. Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, both commissioners are required to meet at least once a year in India and Pakistan.

Indus Commissioner of India PK Saxena told PTI, “The meeting will be held in New Delhi on 23-24 March. This will also be the first meeting between the two commissioners after the repeal of special provisions under Article 370 granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The state was later carved into two union territories – Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

Since then, India has approved several hydropower projects in Ladakh.

They are Durbuk Shyok (19 MW), Shanku (18.5 MW), Nimu Chilling (24 MW), Rongdo (12 MW), Ratan Nag (10.5 MW) for Leh, while Mangalam Sangra (19 MW), Kargil Handerman (25 MW)) and Tamasha (12 MW) have been approved for Kargil.

India had made Pakistan aware of the projects and is expected to come to discuss the issue during the meeting. Saxena said that Pakistan’s concerns over the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab River would also be discussed. Last year’s meeting, which was earlier scheduled to be held in New Delhi in March 2020, was canceled for the first time after the signing of the treaty in view of the epidemic situation.

India proposed to Pakistan in July 2020 that a meeting should be held in the wake of the coronovirus epidemic to discuss pending issues related to the Indus Water Treaty, but Pakistan insisted on holding talks at the Attic check post.

However, India said that it was not favorable to hold a meeting at the Attic Joint Check Post due to the epidemic. With the situation improving, this mandatory meeting is being held. Saxena said that all COVID-related protocols would be followed.

The meeting will take place after a gap of about two and a half years. The last meeting was in August 2018 in Lahore.

The Indian delegation will be led by Saxena, his advisor from the Central Water Commission, Central Electricity Authority and the National Hydropower Corporation.

The Pakistani delegation will be led by Syed Muhammad Mehr Ali Shah, Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters and his eight advisors. Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all waters of the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas and Ravi – have been allocated to India for unrestricted use of approximately 33 million acre-feet annually and western The water of the rivers – the Indus, the Jhelum, and the Chenab – is about 135 MAF annually for Pakistan at large.

Under the treaty, India is empowered to generate hydroelectricity through a portion of river projects on western rivers subject to specific criteria for design and operation. It also empowers Pakistan to raise concerns over the design of Indian hydropower projects on Western rivers. “India is committed to full utilization of its rights under the treaty and believes in amicable resolution of the issues through discussion,” Mr. Saxena said.