KARACHI: India has agreed to ‘re-examine’ Pakistan’s objections over designs of Kishanganga dam and four other hydro- electric power projects on Jhelum and Chenab rivers, Pakistan officials said at the end of three-day talks on Indus water issues.
“Though there is no major breakthrough during the three-day talks, we have succeeded in explaining our objections with certain logic before the Indian team. And the team has agreed to re-examine and reply all our objections and logic deeply and restart talks again with us after two months,” Pakistan’s Commissioner on Indus Water Commission Mirza Asif Baig told Dawn. The three-day talks concluded in Lahore yesterday. Elaborating Pakistan’s stand, he said Islamabad had objected to the spillways as designed for the new dams under the Indus Water Treaty.
“We have objected to the spillways with deep spilling of the Kishanganga dam on the Jhelum and other dams on the Chenab River, as India cannot do this under the Indus Water Treaty. Similarly, we have asked them to avoid excessive water poundage and intake. Likewise, there are some other objections we have raised on the dams’ designs and drawings,” Mr Mirza Asif said, adding that they had categorically told their Indian counterparts that Pakistan wanted practical, acceptable, meaningful and viable conclusion of the talks after two months. “We have also told them that we (Pakistan) will have no option but to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for arbitration in case India does not change designs of its dams,” Dawn quoted him as saying.
(AGENCIES)
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