India, Pakistan set for water-sharing talks

India and Pakistan will hold the first meeting in three years of a commission that deals with water rights on the Indus River today, the two sides said yesterday, illustrating a broader resumption of diplomatic ties. The Permanent Indus Commission, set up under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, is set to meet in New Delhi on March 23 to 24, said two Indian officials that deal in bilateral water issues. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri confirmed the talks will take place. He noted that the Commission is supposed to meet at least once a year under the treaty that governs water usage on the Indus and its tributaries that flow through the two countries.