In setback to Pakistan, World Bank distances itself from Indus Water Treaty

In a major setback to Pakistan, the World Bank made it clear on Friday that it has no role to play in sorting out matters related to the Indus Water Treaty, which India has suspended following the terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

A message from World Bank chief Ajay Banga, shared by the Indian government, said: "We have no role to play beyond that of a facilitator."

“There’s a lot of speculation in the media about how the World Bank will step in and fix the problem but it’s all bunk. The World Bank’s role is merely as a facilitator," the World Bank President said.

Pakistan has been claiming that it preparing legal action over India's suspension of the water treaty, including raising the issue at the World Bank,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already announced that the waters of the river and its tributaries rightfully belong to India and will now be used in the interest of India.

"Bharat ke haq ka paani, Bharat ke haq mein bahega," PM Modi had remarked.

The Indus Water Treaty, which was signed in 1960, governs the sharing of the waters of six rivers—Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—between India and Pakistan.

The waters of these rivers play a vital role in irrigating Pakistan’s farm area and boosting crop production. The Salal and Baglihar Dams are both located on the Chenab River, and water is released from these dams during the lean season to irrigate the crops in Pakistan. India’s decision to suspend the treaty came as Pakistan has been continuing to recruit, train and finance cross-border terrorism as an instrument of state policy backed by the notorious ISI, the army’s intelligence wing.

Meanwhile, World Bank President Banga, who is on a visit to India, met Prime Minister Modi on Thursday and assured him that the World Bank will not interfere in India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty amid tensions with Pakistan. The World Bank chief also met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the national capital.

Banga left for Lucknow on Friday as part of his visit to Uttar Pradesh to get a first-hand view of the rapid economic progress made by India’s most populous state in recent years.