ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday India was no longer sharing river-water information in the same detail as in previous years, pointing out that New Delhi should use the official channels under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and comply with all its provisions.
The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, divides control of the Indus basin rivers between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
India said in April it would hold the treaty “in abeyance” after a gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed more than 26 tourists, an assault it blamed on Pakistan.
Islamabad denied any involvement and called New Delhi’s suspension of the pact illegal and “an act of war.”
“Indian side has indeed shared some information about the floods in different rivers through diplomatic channels,” foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ai Khan told reporters at his weekly briefing. “However, it is not as detailed as it was in the past.”
“Besides, the established channel of Indus Water Commissioner has not been used,” he added. “In that context, we reiterate that India should fully comply with all the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty.”
Last month, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad warned of high flood levels in the River Tawi in Indian-administered Kashmir, even though New Delhi had announced in April it had suspended the treaty.
Pakistan quickly accused India of violating the agreement by sending the message through diplomatic channels rather than the IWT’s official mechanism, calling the step a “serious violation of international law.”
India has since shared additional flood warnings through its diplomatic missions, according to Pakistani officials.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised the IWT issue at international forums, arguing that the treaty does not permit either side to withdraw unilaterally.
The dispute comes as Pakistan reels from weeks of heavy monsoon rains that have swollen the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers that flow into Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab from India.
Authorities say more than 3.9 million people have been affected in the province, where floodwaters have submerged farmland and forced mass evacuations, with surges now moving south toward Sindh.
