By PTI
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday claimed to have foiled an alleged attempt by a submarine of the Indian Navy to enter its territorial waters.
India’s latest Kalvari class submarine based on the French Scorpene-class was “intercepted and tracked” by an anti-submarine warfare unit of the Pakistan Navy on March 1, according to a statement by the Pakistan Army.
The statement claimed that it was the fourth such detection in the last five years.
There was no immediate reaction from India.
The last such alleged incident was reported in October 2021 when the Pakistan Navy detected and blocked an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has asked India to stay clear of Pakistani waters.
News comes on a day when both the countries met for Indus Water Treaty meeting
India has been providing information to Pakistan on the extraordinary discharges of water from reservoirs and flood flows every year, as mandated under the Indus Water Treaty, and if Islamabad requests to provide information beyond the Treaty provisions, New Delhi may examine the same as a gesture of goodwill, sources said on Thursday.
During the three-day meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission comprising Indus commissioners of India and Pakistan here, the entire gamut of water-related issues between the two countries were discussed, the Foreign Office said.
The Indian side was urged to communicate advance flood-flow information as per the provisions of the Treaty and the practice in vogue since 1989 until 2018, it said in a statement.
In response to Pakistan’s claims on flood data, the Indian side explicitly conveyed that as a responsible upper riparian State, India has been providing information on extraordinary discharges of water from reservoirs and flood flows every year, as mandated under the Treaty, sources said.
“India continues to meet all its obligations under the Treaty, however, if Pakistan requests to provide information beyond the Treaty provisions, India may examine the same as a gesture of goodwill,” said a source privy to the meeting.
Pakistan side held that the information supplied by India on the small projects is deficient.
Indian side felt that the information supplied earlier and in the meeting is sufficient.
However, India agreed to arrange the information as requested by Pakistan to the extent they are available.
It was agreed to continue with the discussion on the observations already raised by Pakistan in the next meeting herewith.
Some of these projects are very small, under 10 MW, and hundreds of Kilometres inside the Indian territory, they said.
“Pakistan reiterated its observations on the Kiru Hydroelectric project (HEP) located upstream river Chenab and India’s new run-of-the-river small HEPs on Western rivers,” the FO said.
Rejecting Pakistan’s arguments, India asserted that its design is fully compliant with the Treaty, sources said.
The Indian side is open to discussions and suggestions and can consider to examine any practical suggestion within the realm of the position on the ground and without compromising on her rights as provided under the Treaty, they said.
On free flow in Fazilka Drain, Pakistan side assured that the drain is being fairly maintained on its side and if India may still feel that certain measures are required to be undertaken, Islamabad would be willing to consider any such suggestion.
Pakistan also offered a tour of the Indian side to verify the facts on ground, sources said.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to implement the Indus Waters Treaty in its true spirit and expressed the hope that the next meeting of the Commission would be held at an early date in India, said the FO.
Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters Mehr Ali Shah led the Pakistani side comprising officials of the Water and Power Development Authority, Meteorological Department, Punjab Irrigation, Federal Flood Commission, Nespak and the foreign affairs ministry.
The India delegation was led by its commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena and included experts of relevant departments.
The meeting took place amid the chill in bilateral relations over the Kashmir issue.
Under the provisions of Article VIII(5) of the Indus Waters Treaty, the Permanent Indus Commission is required to meet regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
The last meeting of the Commission was held on March 23-24 2021 in New Delhi.
Under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, all the waters of the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi – amounting to around 33-million-acre feet (MAF) annually is allocated to India for unrestricted use.
The waters of western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – amounting to around 135 MAF annually have been assigned largely to Pakistan.
India is permitted to construct the run of the river plants on western rivers with limited storage as per criteria specified in the treaty.
