Lahore/ New Delhi, Pakistan/ India (August 27, 2014): The second round of talks between water experts from Pakistan and India ended up inconclusively as India refused to change the designs of its Kishanganga Dam and Pakistan gearing up to seek International Court of Justice (ICJ) intervention in this matter.
Pakistan’s Indus Water Commissioner, Mirza Asif Baig, said Pakistan is also thinking about requesting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to intervene and broker a settlement if talks with India fails.
The three-day talks between India and Pakistan were held in Lahore over designs of Kishan Ganga Dam and four other hydroelectric power projects at the Jhelum and the Chenab rivers respectively. The meeting ended up inconclusively on August 26 but the two sides hoped to find a solution in next meeting in Delhi.
A 10-member Indian delegation from the Indus Water Commission in India was on a three-day visit to Lahore to discuss the prolonged water issues between the two countries. The delegation shall return to India today.
“Our objections over the design on Kishanganga dam are logical and we have also raised serious doubts on Kishanganga project at Neelum distributory point on River Jhelum and four other points on River Chenab,” Baig said. He added that the Indus Water Commission is trying its best to persuade the Indian team to accept its objections in light of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) ratified in 1960.
Under the provision of the IWT, the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – were allocated to Pakistan and the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas and Ravi – were given to India. But only India was allowed to use the rivers to generate hydropower.
Few days back Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minster Omar Abdullah had asserted that the state of Jammu and Kashmir suffered losses on account of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) that was signed between India and Pakistan back in 1960.
It is notable that Indus Water Treaty was made one of the basis by the Indian state to loot (east) Punjab’s river water that was allocated to non-riparian states like Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
The Indus Waters Treaty, a water-sharing treaty between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bankwas signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan.