The government on Tuesday announced that it would drag the recalcitrant Indian government into international arbitration if appropriate compensation in the shape of money, or water, was not given to Pakistan for the damage done to matured crops in Punjab due to stoppage of Chenab water in August. "We want to settle this issue bilaterally, for the sake of ongoing dialogue process between the two countries, and if these efforts remain unsuccessful, Pakistan will explore all other options, including arbitration and neutral experts, which is its right" said Pervez Asharaf, Water and Power Minister, while talking to media persons after presiding over an inter-departmental meeting. The Indus Water Treaty was brokered by the World Bank and it is significant that India, as the upper riparian country, never violated the treaty even during its three wars with Pakistan. During the government of B JP, India commenced violations through first constructing Baglihar Dam and more recently by disallowing the agreed water inflow into Pakistan Chenab. Under the Treaty, India cannot reduce the flow in Chenab River below 55,000 cusecs between June 21 and August 31 where Pakistan received as low as a discharge of 20,000 cusecs during August/September 2008. An official informed Business Recorder that India had stopped providing critical data as required under the Treaty, for example, water inflow and outflow reports, which is a major cause of concern in Islamabad. He said that Pakistan is endeavouring to convene a meeting of Permanent Commissioners of Indus Waters wherein all these issues would be raised. "We will demand not only on site inspection of the Baglihar project but also water reports regularly," the Minister said. India has allegedly also stored water for the Baglihar hydroelectric project without intimating Pakistan. In 1978, India had filled Salal Dam by stopping Pakistan's water share in March and later released the same quantity of water as compensation from Sutlaj River. According to Indus Basin Treaty 1964, if India constructs any run of the river project on Chenab River, India has to ensure outflow of 55,000 cusecs water at Head Maralla, the Minister said. Unfortunately, India violated this clause of the Treaty with the initial filling of newly constructed Baglihar project and deprived Pakistan of its due share of water at Head Maralla. The Minister said that Pakistan received only 20,000 or 22,000 cusecs water due to which crops especially rice spread over lakhs of acres of land suffered. Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters (PCIW) Jamaat Ali Shah has already registered a protest wito his Indian counterpart, Foreign Office has raised the issue with the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan and Pakistan High Commissioner to India discussed the issue with Indian External Affairs Ministry, he added. "India violated the Treaty despite written correspondence and telephonic conversation between both the Permanent Water Commissioners," he said. Insiders in the Ministry of Water and Power told Business Recorder that India had not responded to the written correspondence, and ignored the telephonic conversation with Pakistan's PCIW. "We have discussed the issue in detail with all the concerned stakeholders and asked Punjab government to finalise estimates of damage done to its crops due to non-availability of expected water inflow," the Minister said. He said that Pakistan government would lodge protest to the Indian government very soon and the latter would be asked to honour the Treaty in letter and spirit so that Treaty should not be violated in future.