Islamabad, Aug. 9 : Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has said that he discussed the issue of the Indus Basin Water Treaty during his first meeting with India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York.

Responding to a question about the alleged violation of Indus Basin Water Treaty by India, Zardari said the government was conscious of this very grave issue of water shortage and is taking steps for its conservation.

In 2008, Pakistan’s Indus Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah had alleged that India was filling the Baglihar Dam in clear violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty, bringing the inflow in Chenab River down to a historic low of 20,000 cusecs.

According to The Nation, Zardari said that a special assistant to the prime minister on water had been appointed, which reflected the significance the government was attaching to the issue.

He also emphasised on the importance of water conservation and said modern technologies of irrigation should be utilised for conservation of precious water.

On the issue of militancy in Balochistan, Zardari said the government is moving in the right direction to address the problems faced by the people of Balochistan through dialogue and constitutional means.

He admitted that the people of Balochistan had been ignored in the past and the PPP government would like to apologise to them despite the fact that “We were not responsible for the past wrong doings.”

Addressing members of the youth parliament, Zardari said that Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had raised the issue of foreign interference in Balochistan with his Indian counterpart during their meeting at Sharm El-Sheikh. (ANI)