Pak to propose two forums to resolve Kishanganga Dam dispute with India

Islamabad, Nov.13 (ANI): In an attempt to resolve the Kishanganga Dam dispute with India as soon as possible, Pakistan has proposed both the establishment of a court of arbitration and the appointment of neutral experts.

"The establishment of a court for arbitration and the appointment of neutral experts would be proposed to India, as New Delhi had failed to satisfy Pakistan in matters related to the dispute during negotiations between the Indus water commissioners of the two countries," The Daily Times quoted Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah, as saying.

Shah said Islamabad is doing its best to resolve the impending crisis, and blamed New Delhi for not responding to Pakistan's initiatives positively.

The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), inked between India and Pakistan in 1960, provides appointment of a neutral expert by the World Bank as a last option to resolve water related issues between both the countries.

Pakistan has been blaming India for an unsporting attitude during bilateral talks, which were initiated to resolve the impending water dispute.

Pakistan has been opposing the construction of the Kishanganga hydropower project on Ganga River in Kashmir, which is called Neelum upon entering Pakistan. Pakistan has said that the diversion of the waters of the Neelum is not allowed under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, and it will face a 27 per cent water deficit, when the project gets completed.

The reduced water flow in the Neelum would not yield the required results of the proposed 1.6 billion dollars Neelum-Jehlum hydropower project that has been designed to generate 969 MW of electricity.

It has said that India has almost completed a 22-kilometre long tunnel to divert Kishanganga waters to Wullar Lake in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)