New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): Union Minister of Jal Shakti, CR Paatil, is scheduled to hold a meeting with ministry officials on Thursday following the Union Government's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam, sources told ANI.

Earlier on Wednesday, in retaliation against the terror attack, which claimed 26 innocent lives, India announced a series of strong measures in response, including the abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 'with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.'

The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960, following nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan, with the assistance of the World Bank, which is also the signatory. Eugene Black, a former president of the World Bank, initiated the talks.

Recognised as one of the most successful international treaties, it has endured frequent tensions, including conflict, and has provided a framework for irrigation and hydropower development for over 50 years.

The Treaty allocates the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India. At the same time, the Treaty allows each country specific uses of the rivers allocated to the other. The treaty allocates 20 per cent of the water from the Indus River System to India, with the remaining 80 per cent allocated to Pakistan.

According to the World Bank, the Treaty sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two countries regarding their use of the rivers, known as the Permanent Indus Commission, which has a Commissioner from each country. The Treaty also sets forth distinct procedures to handle issues which may arise: 'questions' are managed by the Commission; 'differences' are to be resolved by a Neutral Expert; and 'disputes' are to be referred to an ad hoc arbitral tribunal called the 'Court of Arbitration'.

The Indus Waters Treaty also came under scrutiny in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in 2019. The treaty has been criticised for being too generous to Pakistan, even when it has continued to promote terror in India. (ANI)