NEW DELHI: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a meeting to review the Indus Waters treaty with Pakistan amidst heightened tension between the two countries.
Principal secretary to PM, Nripendra Misra, NSA Ajit Doval and foreign secretary S Jaishankar also attended the meeting in the PM's residence.
The discussion is seen as significant in the light of
India-Pakistan tensions following the death of 18 soldiers in a terrorist strike at an Army camp in Uri last week.
There have been consistent calls in India that the government scrap the water distribution pact to mount pressure on Pakistan in the aftermath of the terror attack.
The decision to examine the Indus treaty comes days after foreign ministry spokesperson
Vikas Swarup said while India did not intend to violate the 1960 treaty, "eventually any cooperative arrangement requires goodwill and mutual trust on both sides".
The exercise also indicates that the PM might be
looking for leverage other than military reprisals against Pakistan, given concerns over a conflict between the nuclear armed neighbours escalating.
The treaty signed in 1960 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pakistan President Ayub Khan allocates 80% of water from the six-river Indus water system to Pakistan. Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum form the Indus water system that flows from India to Pakistan.
The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, is often considered to be too one-sided and there has been growing clamour to relook at it. The pact has survived wars and phases of frosty ties between India and Pakistan
At his speech in Kozhikode on Saturday, Modi hinted that India might explore diplomatic options at present. Taking a fresh look at the Indus treaty, like the PM's decision to bring up Pakistan's alleged human rights excesses in
Balochistan, is a new dimension to the Indian policy towards its hostile neighbour.
Pakistan has been complaining of not receiving enough water and gone for international arbitration in couple of cases.
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh had said last week that his state will fully support whatever decision is taken by the Union government on the 1960 agreement.
"The treaty has caused huge loss to Jammu and Kashmir" as the people of the state cannot fully utilise the waters of various rivers, particularly Chenab in Jammu, for agricultural and other activities, Singh had said.
"The state government will support whatever decision is taken by the central government on Indus Waters Treaty," he had said.
(With inputs from PTI)