New Delhi, July 25 -- The external affairs ministry on Friday rejected reports that the release of river waters from the Indian side caused flooding in Pakistan and pointed out that official statements from Pakistani authorities acknowledged a rise in river levels because of heavy monsoon rain in catchment areas. The comments by external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a regular media briefing came against the backdrop of the government's decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance for as long as Pakistan continues to support cross-border terrorism. Jaiswal pointed to Pakistani media reports alleging that the Indian side is "deliberately causing flooding in Pakistan" and described the accusations as "baseless and contrary to the facts". A recent increase in the flow of the Chenab river was a "direct consequence of intense monsoon rainfall over Jammu and the adjoining catchment areas" during July 20-23, he said. "Significantly, Pakistan's own flood forecasting division, which is based in Lahore, in its flood advisory issued on July 22 - and let me also give you the time, it was issued at 17.18 hours local time - attributed the high flood levels in the Chenab river to heavy rainfall over the upper catchment area," Jaiswal said. Jaiswal also rejected claims in the Pakistani media that India had withheld flood warnings, and said the river flows on the Indian side during this period did not reach "extraordinary discharge levels" that required special flood warnings to be issued. "India will continue to share high flood data with Pakistan on humanitarian grounds through diplomatic channels, as and when a situation arises," he said....