India agrees to discuss water projects with Pak

Lahore: India has finally agreed to send its 11-member team to Pakistan on May 30 to discuss threadbare the controversial water projects and take up routine agenda.

“The 11-member team will reach Lahore on May 30, 2008, to start formal 4-day session from the very next day,” official sources at Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) and Ministry of Water and Power confirmed.

Besides the routine agenda taken up on annual basis, the Pakistani team will also raise the contentious issues with particularly focus on Kishanganga and Baglihar hydropower cum water storage project of India on the Chenab River coming from Occupied Kashmir.

“The Pakistani team will urge the Indian side to give an exact date for inspection of the Baglihar project to determine whether or not the work is underway in accordance with the decision of the World Bank appointed neutral expert last year,” the sources maintained.

The PIC is only a permanent body that exists between Pakistan and India since 1960 Waters Treaty was signed by the two rival countries with World Bank playing a role of a facilitator.

Pakistan’s major concern of the day is to ensure, on the spot, inspection of the Baglihar Dam as early as possible after the World Bank’s neutral expert had determined “differences” and allowed its construction with some important modifications.

The Commissioner of Pakistani side of the PIC Syed Jamaat Ali Shah also confirmed that the Indian side of the PIC with its Commissioner Aranga Nathan was arriving Pakistan on May 30. “All the four days of the meetings would be in Lahore and not in Islamabad.”

Jamaat Ali Shah responded to a question that the PIC would discuss its annual agenda which includes exchange of information regarding the monsoon season to avert the possibilities of flood. “We have two projects, including Kishangana, on the agenda items in the session which will start on May 31 and conclude on June 3 as the Indian team will depart on June 4, 2008.”

“Definitely, other issues, such as Baglihar project’s inspection would also come under discussion and our priority would be to have a time before its formal commissioning,” he responded to another question.

Jamaat Ali Shah said that both sides of the PIC have to submit reports to their respective governments in next month on the discussions on the platform of the annual meeting of the body. “As our year starts from April, we will try to settle the disputes within it (the year).”

Pakistan has been urging India for the meetings of Baglihar and Kishangana in the last six months but received a cold response as New Delhi may start commissioning of Baglihar project on the Chenab River within the next two to three months.

In his Feb 12, 2007 report, the World Bank’s appointed neutral expert, Prof Raymond Lafitte, had unfolded his decision determining the “differences” between the two countries under the water treaty. Both Pakistan and India claimed victory of their respective stands.

Pakistan, in its objections submitted before the expert, had raised four concerns on the design of the Baglihar project and sought modification on freeboard, level of power intakes, pondage and spillway.

“The neutral expert found that Indian calculation on freeboard was inaccurate; it was determined by him (Prof Lafitte) that crest level should be set at the lowest level by India. The expert directed India to reduce the freeboard by 33 per cent from 4.5 metres to 3 metres.”