Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 26 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Minister Jawed Rana stated here on Saturday that the erstwhile state has suffered significantly due to the Indus Water Treaty.

He noted that Jammu and Kashmir is a drought-prone area, and the Indus Water Treaty is subject to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice; however, the people of the state have not received the benefits to which they are entitled under the treaty.

'The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered the most due to the Indus Water Treaty. Unfortunately, our area is a drought-prone area. The Indus Water Treaty also includes the International Court of Justice, but I would say that we did not get the benefits from it that we should have got. We should get our rights, our mountains, water, our rivers, our government,' Jawed Rana told ANI.

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting. Recognising the seriousness of this terrorist attack, the CCS decided that the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 will be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

Reacting to Pakistan People's Party president Bilawal Bhutto's statement on the Indus Water Treaty, Jawed Rana said that it is an absurd statement from the Pakistani leadership, which is not even standing on its feet. He stated that Bhutto's remark makes no difference as there is no democracy in Pakistan.

'The absurd statements of the Pakistan leadership, which is not standing on its own feet, where there is no democracy, what difference does his statement make?' he added.

Twenty-six tourists were killed on Tuesday afternoon in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran valley. Among the victims were 25 Indian nationals and one Nepalese citizen. (ANI)