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Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday India has committed certain violations of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between the two countries.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmoud Qureshi told the National Assembly the issue would be "forcefully" raised when his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee visits Islamabad in May.
He was answering questions from lawmakers about the construction of water reservoirs by India on rivers Jhelum and Chenab. "We are cognisant of the issue. Certain violation of the Indus River Treaty have been committed by India," Qureshi said.
He said India had started some upstream projects on the rivers that had been designated for Pakistan under the water-sharing treaty.
"Water issue is very sensitive. We are not negligent about it and I assure not to repeat the follies of the past," he said, adding that the issue was also part of the agenda of the bilateral composite dialogue.
Qureshi said the treaty recognised Pakistan's right to waters of Jhelum, Chenab and Indus rivers while allowing the use of water from these rivers by India for domestic, non-consumptive and hydro-power generation purposes. "But, India violated the treaty in terms of designs of dams or otherwise and Pakistan is raising this issue at appropriate forums. We would not allow anything that harms our national interest," he said.
Mukherjee's visit is to restart the dialogue process after a long break amid a political crisis in Pakistan, where general elections in February brought into power a coalition led by the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said the new government would maintain and sincerely carry forward the dialogue the two countries had initiated in January 2004.
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