Pakistan Offers to Resume Indus Waters Treaty Talks, Awaits India's Response

Last Updated May - 15 - 2025, 04:33 PM | Source : Fela News

Pakistan has proposed restarting talks with India on the Indus Waters Treaty, following months of silence after the Pahalgam attacks. India is yet to respond to

Pakistan has expressed its willingness to resume dialogue with India on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which India had put on hold following the Pahalgam terror attacks, according to government sources speaking to The Hindu on May 15, 2025. A letter from Pakistan’s Secretary of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, addressed to India’s Water Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, was received about a week ago, seeking India’s nomination of representatives for talks with Pakistan’s Indus Commissioner. While the letter’s exact date and contents remain unverified, it reportedly expresses concern over India’s suspension of the IWT and offers to begin logistical preparations for renewed discussions.

India has not officially responded to the letter, and the Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment. India had previously insisted that future treaty discussions must occur at the government-to-government level, rather than through the Indus Commissioners. In contrast, Pakistan had proposed a neutral venue, but India suggested Islamabad.

Since January 2023, India has reached out four times to Pakistan to renegotiate the treaty, receiving no satisfactory reply. The letter does not mention India’s May 5 surprise water releases from the Baglihar and Salal dams. India maintains that its hydropower projects comply with IWT terms and do not disrupt Pakistan’s water flow or agriculture.