Indo-Pak water talks remain inconclusive

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

* Commissioners fail to reach consensus on Nimoo-Bazgo hydel power project
* Say issue will be taken up in next round of talks

LAHORE: India and Pakistan failed to arrive at a conclusion as the two sides ended their three-day deliberations on the ongoing water dispute on Tuesday.

The Indo-Pak talks on Nimoo-Bazgo hydel generation project, which India is constructing on Indus River in occupied Kashmir, remained inconclusive as no consensus could be developed on the issue.

According to agenda items, Pakistan showed serious reservations on the delay in the provision of details of the project by India.

Under the Indus Water Treaty, India is bound to give technical details of water sector projects to Pakistan six months before beginning construction of such projects.

At the end of final day of discussions, both water commissioners told a joint press briefing that they had failed to arrive at a consensus.

Next round: They said the issue would now be taken up in the next meeting in New Delhi, which is likely to be held in May.

Indian Water Commissioner G Aranga Nathan said the reservations put forward by Pakistan would be resolved soon.

However, Nathan rejected claims that India was involved in water theft or blocking Pakistan’s share of water.

He said relatively low rains and continuous dry spell resulted in the reduced release of water to Pakistan.

To a question on the delay in communicating technical data to Pakistan, Nathan said they had provided information on priority basis.

When asked to comment on the meetings, Pakistani Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah said the two sides had different points of view on the Nimoo-Bazgo project, adding that the people should not expect major outcomes from the meetings, as the issue required time to settle.

Shah said they had asked the Indian Water Commission to arrange for a site visit of the under-construction projects in June-July, hoping India would respond positively to Pakistan’s request.

He said that the commission had also been requested to limit the acreage of agricultural water.

Meanwhile, a private TV channel reported Nathan as saying that objections raised by Pakistan over the proposed Indian water projects had no substantial grounds, however, the objections could be discussed in the next round of the talks in May.

Talking to reporters, he said that India was not stealing river water, and all hydropower projects being built by the country conformed to the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty 1960. staff report/daily times monitor