India, Pakistan to discuss Indus waters in New Delhi on March 29-30

The PIC is mandated to establish and maintain cooperative arrangements for the implementation of the treaty and to promote cooperation between the two sides in developing the Indus water systems.

Indian and Pakistani officials will discuss here on Thursday and Friday the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), established under the Indus Waters Treaty.

The PIC is mandated to establish and maintain cooperative arrangements for the implementation of the treaty and to promote cooperation between the two sides in developing the Indus water systems. 

The 113th meeting of the Commission was held in Pakistan in March last year. The 114th meeting in New Delhi will cover technical grounds.

Pakistan has been protesting over the design and construction of two projects - the 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project and the 850 MW Ratle hydroelectric project - by India on the tributaries of the Indus in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 and involves six rivers: the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. 

Brokered by the World Bank, the treaty gave the right to use waters of the first three rivers to India and of the other three rivers to Pakistan.

India has said it has the right under the treaty to set up hydropower plants on the tributaries of the rivers flowing through its territory. Pakistan fears this might reduce the water flow into its territory.