PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar here on Wednesday said that the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the Indus Waters Treaty had validated Pakistan’s legitimate water rights.
The seminar was organised at the Frontier Law College, Peshawar, to welcome the ruling of the Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which held that the Indus Waters Treaty could not be suspended and remained fully in force.
Among the speakers was international arbitration law consultant and former vice chairman of the KP Bar Council, Akhtar Ali Khan, who is also an international law practitioner.The speakers said the ruling came in arbitration proceedings initiated by Pakistan under Article IX of the Indus Waters Treaty, according to a press release issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The court noted that the treaty had survived several conflicts since 1960. It also referred to its March 6, this year decision restraining India from proceeding with the construction of any project until legal experts determine whether its design and other aspects comply with the Indus Waters Treaty.
Akhtar Ali Khan congratulated Pakistan’s legal team and experts on their success in the high-profile arbitration proceedings.He welcomed the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and said the decision had once again established that India could not unilaterally suspend, disregard or reinterpret a binding international agreement.
Answering questions, he said Pakistan had chosen the path of law, diplomacy and legal process.“We will continue to defend our water rights at every international forum with a firm stance that the Indus is the lifeline of Pakistan,” he said.Akhtar Ali Khan extended his full legal support to Pakistan’s legal team and experts, both in Pakistan and abroad, if and when required.
