Indus Water Treaty: Indian officials to attend meeting in Lahore

NEW DELHI - Indian officials will visit Pakistan to attend the meeting of Permanent Indus Commission in Lahore this month, Indian media reported.

The move follows two-month long diplomatic negotiations with World Bank officials playing the role of mediator.

The commission provides a platform to Pakistan and India to implement and achieve the desired goals of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).

Pakistan and India share the waters of Indus River Basin which has been a bone of contention between the two countries since independence.

Both countries signed the IWT in 1960 mediated by the World Bank in order to settle the issue. The accord controls water distribution of rivers Ravi, Sutlej, Beas, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.

After the recent upsurge in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), water has once again become a divisive issue for the countries.