LAKE SUCCESS: Chaudhri Mohammad Zafrullah Khan, Pakistan Foreign Minister, told [news agency] today [Sept 29] that the Pakistan Government would be shortly submitting to the Indian Government a formula “which should meet the main points” of the Indian Government’s proposals regarding the dispute on river waters in the Punjab.

“We hope we might be able to come to an amicable settlement on the question,” he said. “We have from the beginning urged that we should make every effort to come to an agreement, apart from the legal rights of each party.

“If agreement cannot be reached by negotiation, we may take measures to have the dispute submitted to the International Court of Justice. For the moment, we are still exploring the possibility of a settlement by negotiation. Obviously that would be the best way to settle the question.” Chaudhri Zafrullah emphasised that it was a legal question and yet it affected the lives of millions of people. “Any threat to cut off the water would constitute a threat to peace, and would necessarily be a matter for the Security Council,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024