Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, May 31: The two-day 118th Permanent Indus Commission meeting between India and Pakistan reached its last session on Tuesday, with both sides expressing positive signs.
The meeting began on Monday with a six-member Pakistani team, including a woman, visiting India to participate in the event, which is held yearly under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) 1960.
Syed Muhammed, Mehar Ali Shah, Sahibzad Khan, Habib Ullah Bodla, Saman Muneeb, and Khalid Mahmood are among the Pakistani delegation members. The six-member Indian delegation is led by AK Pal, the country’s new Indus Commissioner.
The conference takes place just three months after the last one in Islamabad. The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) convened its 117th meeting in Islamabad from March 1-3. PK Saxena, India’s Indus Commissioner at the time, led the Indian team.
According to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960, which governs the sharing of the waters of the Indus basin’s six rivers, both India and Pakistan must have Indus Commissioners, and the Permanent Indus Commission must convene at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
India has complete control over the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers in the Indus Basin, whereas Pakistan has control over the Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus rivers in the west.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides are expected to meet at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan, under the terms of the treaty. The most recent summit, held in New Delhi on March 23-24, 2021, focused on the exchange of hydrological and flood data.
