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India may reject World Bank panel on Baglihar
Anita Katyal and Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 29
India has the option to reject two times the names of neutral experts suggested by the World Bank on the Baglihar dam controversy and it looks reasonably certain that India will exercise this right given under the Indus Water Treaty.

The World Bank has already sent the names and bio-data of three engineers-— one each from Australia, Brazil and Switzerland — asking New Delhi to accept one or two or all three as neutral arbitrators on the dispute raised by Pakistan. India has been given two weeks' time to make up its mind and this deadline ends on May 9. India has the right to reject all the three names.

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan today called Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and Water Resources Secretary J S Hari Narayan to his office to discuss the issue. A final decision on the World Bank-suggested panel is yet to be taken but indications are that India may reject the entire panel.

The idea is not just to buy time but also to utilise the rights and privileges enshrined in the treaty which gives two opportunities to reject the World Bank expert panel. It is mandatory for India or Pakistan to accept the panel suggested by the World Bank for the third time. This exercise can at best give a couple of months to the Government of India which will not be enough to complete the 450-MW, Rs 4200 crore run-of-the-river power project being constructed on the Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, rejecting the panel for the sake of rejection would get black marks for New Delhi. The overall project is to be completed in 2007 end but electricity generation is expected to start from next year itself as work is being expedited.

One influential opinion in the Government of India is that India should utilise to the optimum all the rights and privileges given by the Treaty on the issue of appointment of neutral expert. It is felt that the government also needs more time to discuss the issue domestically. The government is going to put up the issue before the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) and also convene an All Party meeting on this.

The situation is fluid because this is the first time ever in the history of 45-year-old Treaty that a neutral expert is being appointed to resolve a dispute between India and Pakistan. So, more time will come in handy for the government.

The UPA government is determined that it will not allow Baglihar project to meet the fate of Tulbul project where India agreed to the Pakistani demand of stopping work till resolution of objections raised by Pakistan. As a result, work on Tulbul project remains stopped for the past 16 years.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Navtej Sarna, in response to a question on Baglihar project, said: "We have consistently declared that India intends to remain in strict conformity with the provisions of the Treaty and, therefore, intends to cooperate fully with the World Bank in the selection of a neutral expert." It may be recalled that India had conveyed to Pakistan its readiness to consider any design changes or technical modifications, in conformity with the Treaty, in case Pakistan was able to provide quantified technical objections in this regard. This was conveyed to Pakistan as recently as during the visit of President Musharraf to Delhi earlier this month. Since Pakistan has chosen to invoke the role of the World Bank, as provided for in the Treaty, India will have no hesitation in making available whatever technical details the neutral expert may require, within the parameters clearly laid down in the Treaty. "The Government of India attaches considerable importance to the Baglihar project which will bring significant economic benefits to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. India will, however, observe all its solemn commitments to the Indus Waters Treaty, which has, for the past 45 years, stood the test of time”.