Islamabad (TDI): Pakistan has decided to issue a formal diplomatic notice to India following New Delhi’s unilateral action to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.
The decision was made after initial consultations between Pakistan’s ministries of foreign affairs, law, and water resources, according to Express News.
Emergency legal and constitutional consultations have been held in response to New Delhi’s unilateral action, and initial groundwork has been completed.
All the three ministries have coordinated to finalize the process, and a formal notice will be issued to India within the coming days via diplomatic channels.
The notice will seek concrete explanations from New Delhi for suspending the landmark 1960 agreement, which governs water sharing between the two nations.
There are also discussions underway to lodge formal protests at international forums, aiming to underline what Islamabad describes as Indian water aggression on the global stage.
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Pakistan believes it holds legal precedence on the agreement and hopes that New Delhi will be compelled to revisit its decision. All measures will be taken following approval from the federal cabinet.
Tensions between Pakistan and India escalated following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, a tourist destination in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK), which killed 26 people.
New Delhi accused Islamabad of involvement without presenting proof and suspended the Indus Waters Treaty unilaterally in addition to other steps such as closure of Wagah-Attari border.
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Pakistan condemned the attack and offered full cooperation in an impartial probe. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Islamabad’s readiness to cooperate with India if it agreed to a neutral investigation.
Islamabad has also responded with tit-for-tat steps including the threat to suspend the Simla Agreement inked between the two nations in 1972.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
