ISLAMABAD Oct.1, Reuter: Pakistan has asked India to stop constructing a river barrage into he Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir which it thinks violates a 1960 water sharing treaty between the two traditionally rival neighbours.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zain Noorani told Parliament Last night Islamabad would take all necessary steps to prevent New Delhi from constructing the barrage on the river Jhelum, which flows into Pakistan.
Pakistan says the Indians plan a storage capacity 30 times bigger than that allowed in the Indus Basin Treaty. Islamabad fears this will interfere with its water supplies from the Jhelum river.
Noorani told the National Assembly Pakistan had conveyed its ‘concern to India and expressed hope the matter would be swiftly resolved.
“We have called upon the Indian Government that as a first step in that direction, all construction work on the barrage be stopped forthwith”, the Minister said.
Earlier yesterday, a foreign ministry statement said a protest was lodged with India on Sunday for its failure to supply timely and complete information on the barrage. Pakistan says this is to be built at the mouth of Wular Lake north of the Indian controlled Kashmir capital of Srinagar.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 10, 1986
