M A I N   N E W S

India, Pak officials meet on Kishenganga project
K.J.M. Varma

Islamabad, May 8
Officials from India and Pakistan today held talks in Lahore to resolve differences over the Kishenganga hydro-power project, planned to be built by India over the Jhelum in Jammu and Kashmir.

A delegation of officials from the Permanent Indus Waters Commission of India arrived in Lahore yesterday for the talks, which were delayed by a day due to change in travel plans of the Indian team, officials here said.

The talks were earlier scheduled to begin yesterday.

Officials from the Permanent Indus Water Commissions of both countries, who earlier failed to resolve differences over Baglihar hydro-power project, have begun a new exercise to iron out differences this time on the Kishenganga project under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, 1960.

Pakistan said its main objection to the Kishenganga project was the 21-km-long underground canal envisaged by India which, it claimed, was violation of the treaty.

Before today’s talks, Commissioner of Pakistan’s Permanent Indus Waters Commission Jamat Ali Shah told the media that Islamabad had already conveyed its objections during the past two rounds of meetings with their Indian counterparts on Kishenganga and wanted an early resolution.

In the run-up to the talks, Shah said unlike talks over Baglihar, which went on for years, Pakistan would insist on a time-bound resolution of differences on Kishenganga through bilateral talks, failing which it would prefer to approach the World Bank, as it did in the case of Baglihar.

Shah also said Pakistan might suggest a time frame of one to three months to sort out the differences.

The two sides had held preliminary talks on the project last year. The talks were essential under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty before either of the parties moved for arbitration under the aegis of the World Bank, which was given the status of arbitrator under the treaty.

The Kishenganga talks were being held a day before the expiry of the deadline for both the countries to respond to the World Bank’s nomination of three international water experts made on April 26. The two countries could either agree for the three, choose one or call for fresh nominations. — PTI