Pakistan on Friday expressed ‘serious concerns’ over the scheduled inauguration of the controversial Kishanganga hydropower project by India, saying without the resolution of the dispute the attempt is tantamount to violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
“Pakistan believes that the inauguration of the project without the resolution of the dispute is tantamount to violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT),” a statement issued by the Foreign Office said.
The 330-megawatt project on the Kishanganga River in Indian-held Kashmir’s Bandipora district is all set to be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 19.
Despite several rounds of bilateral negotiations as well mediations by the World Bank, India continued with the construction of the project, the Foreign Office said, adding that ‘this intransigence on part of India clearly threatens the sanctity of the Treaty’.
The Foreign Office reiterated that being the custodian of the treaty, the World Bank must urge India to address Pakistan’s reservations on Kishanganga hydropower project.
Pakistan maintains that India had completed the project during the period the World Bank ‘paused’ the process for constitution of a court of arbitration as requested by Pakistan in early 2016. The Pakistani request was countered by India by calling for a neutral expert. In December last year, India decided to move ahead with its controversial decision to start work on the project.
The project will store around 0.65 million acre feet (MAF) of water from Ujh (a tributary of Ravi) to irrigate 30,000 hectares and produce over 200 megawatts of power.
Published in Daily Times, May 19th 2018.
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