VIOLATING INDUS WATER TREATY WILL BE AN ACT OF WAR: AZIZ

NEW DELHI: Pakistan can approach the United Nations and the International Court of Justice if India violates the Indus Waters Treaty, its top foreign policy adviser said on Tuesday, warning that such a move can be treated as “an act of war”.

Reviewing the 56-year-old pact that governs rivers flowing into Pakistan is part of retributive measures India is said to be considering to avenge an attack on an army base in Uri, Kashmir. New Delhi says the September 18 attack, which killed 18 soldiers, originated from Pakistan. “The international law states that India cannot unilaterally separate itself from the treaty,” Sartaj Aziz said, briefing the National Assembly or lower house of parliament on the treaty.

The treaty brokered by the World Bank was not suspended even during wars and the Kargil and Siachen conflicts, he said. If India revokes or violates the treaty, Pakistan can approach the UN Security Council or the International Court of Justice, he added, according to reports in the Pakistani media. “Between the two countries, this act of revocation can be taken as an act of war,” he said.

Disagreements over how to share the waters of the Indus and other rivers have dogged relations between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals since Independence in 1947. The dispute looks set to be re-ignited after PM Narendra Modi told officials on Monday that India should use more of the rivers’ resources. Later, Pakistan’s National Assembly also unanimously passed a resolution condemning India’s assertion at the UNGA that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.