India alerts Pakistan on Tawi flood amid treaty suspension: Pakistani media
India has shared flood information with Pakistan through its High Commission in Islamabad, a Pakistani media report stated
In a first since New Delhi suspended the Indus Water Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack, India has alerted Pakistan about a potential flood in the Tawi River, Pakistani media reported on Monday.
Indian High Commission shared info
According to the Pakistani media outlet The News, India shared the information with Pakistan through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
The report further stated that Pakistani authorities have issued warnings based on the information provided by India. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding the development by either India or Pakistan. Usually, such inputs are shared through the Indus Water Commissioner.
According to the report, it is the first major contact of its kind since the Pakistan-India conflict in May. There has been no official confirmation regarding the development by either India or Pakistan.
Also Read: Pakistan ‘expects’ India to resume Indus Water Treaty after war threats
Indus Water Treaty in abeyance
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, India took a series of punitive measures against Pakistan that included putting the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in "abeyance".
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the distribution and use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of heavy rains across most parts of Pakistan until August 30.
The NDMA warning comes as the country reels from earlier monsoon spells from June 26 to August 20, which claimed over 788 lives and 1,018 injuries as of Saturday.
Earlier, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry on August 11 expressed hope that India would resume normal functioning of the suspended Indus Water Treaty, citing a Court of Arbitration ruling in its favour.
Also Read: Indus Water Treaty suspension: Pak will build its water storage capacity, says Shehbaz Sharif
Arbitration court ruling
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry claimed that the Court of Arbitration declared on August 8 that India must "let flow" the waters of Western Rivers for Pakistan's unrestricted use. Pakistan stated its commitment to full treaty implementation while expecting India to abide by the arbitration verdict and resume normal treaty operations.
The ruling specified that exceptions for hydroelectric plant generation must conform strictly to treaty requirements rather than India's preferred "ideal" or "best practices" approach.
Also Read: All about India's canal expansion strategy to reduce Indus water flow to Pakistan
India doesn’t recognise Arbitration Court
However, India has never recognised the arbitration proceedings after Pakistan objected to the design elements of the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. The Ministry of External Affairs stated on June 27 that the "illegal Court of Arbitration" was constituted in "brazen violation" of the treaty, making any proceedings or awards "illegal and per se void."
(With agency inputs)