Islamabad
A 10-member Indian delegation has arrived in Pakistan for the annual meeting of the Permanent Commission on Indus Waters (PCIW) and the two sides will discuss among other topics arrangements about flood flow information during the current season and finalise future programmes, meetings and inspections.
The delegation, headed by the Indian Commissioner for Indus Waters, arrived here via Wagah border on Monday to attend the annual PCIW meeting being organised by the office of Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters under obligations of the Indus Water Treaty-1960, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The meeting is scheduled for March 1-3 in Islamabad. The Indian delegation’s visit was earlier scheduled for mid-January, but it was postponed at the request of India due to COVID-related restrictions.
“The Indian delegation entered the country via Wagah border (Lahore) and then reached Islamabad. The delegation, headed by Indian Commissioner P.K. Saxena, includes three female officers,” a senior official of the office of Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters was quoted as saying in the report.
This is the first time since the signing of the treaty that three female officers will also be part of the Indian delegation, which will be advising the Indian Commissioner on various issues during the meeting.
The delegation will comprise Saxena’s advisors from the Central Water Commission, the Central Electricity Authority, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Pakistani official said the participants are set to discuss arrangements regarding communication of advance information about flood flows during the current season, maintenance of the free flow of water into Sutlej river and finalisation of future programmes, meetings and tours and inspections.
The meeting is taking place amid the chill in bilateral relations over the Kashmir issue. The participants, under the agenda items of the meeting, will also finalize and sign a record of the last PCIW meeting. “There is no plan for any field visit/inspection by the Indian delegation members during their stay in Pakistan as they have come to participate in the meeting only,” the official said.
