Pak no longer at loggerheads with India over Baglihar project

Islamabad, Aug 2 : After the World bank appointed neutral expert Raymond Lafitte asked India to decrease the height of the dam by 1.5 metres, Pakistan has said that it has no objections against the work going on at the dam site in Jammu and Kashmir.

Briefing reporters after his three-day tour to Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said that although Pakistan now had no objections against the project, it wanted that both dead storage and live storage should comply with the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty. He said that as per the treaty, Pakistan should receive 55,000 cusecs of water through river Chenab at Marala.

"We are satisfied with the works. They have been executed as per the World Bank award," the Daily Times quoted Shah as saying.

Indian officials associated with the project expressed a sense of relief at Shah's observations. "The project is now almost near completion and any adverse comment would have delayed its execution," said one official.

The Pakistan delegation, which was here for the 101st meeting of the Indus Commission, also discussed the 330 MW Kishanganga project with the Indian team led by Indus Commissioner G. Aranganathan. Shah conceded that there was no progress and the issue would now be referred to both the governments.

According to the paper, as the stalemate over the controversial Kishanganga project continues, Pakistan has now offered to host an expert Indian delegation this month to verify the adverse impact of the Kishanganga project on the environment, ecology and the agriculture of the region.

Briefing reporters after his three-day tour to Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said his team had minutely examined the works at the Baglihar project using scientific instruments to verify the changes as suggested by Raymond Lafitte.

ANI