January 22, 2002	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 7, 1422

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LAHORE, Jan 21: The Indian government has restarted work on a hydro-electric project, called Baghliar, on the Chenab River in spite of “strong reservations Pakistan had expressed about its design”.

About a year back, the commissioner of Indus Water, the sole authority created to ensure smooth implementation of the Indus Basin Treaty, had taken up the matter with his Indian counterpart and raised objections on the project’s design.

The Pakistani side had specifically pointed out that since India wanted to create a reservoir with gates on it to control the flow of water, the gates could be closed any time to disrupt the flow.

Pakistan had also refused to buy the Indian argument that the site was not suitable for a non-gate reservoir.

In order to resolve the matter, experts from Pakistan were scheduled to visit the site on Dec 28 but the Indian side informed on Dec 24 that the tour was not possible due to the rising tension on borders. India has now restarted work on the project without attending to Pakistan’s complaints, says a source privy to the situation, adding India was taking advantage of the border tension. The Pakistani commissioner for Indus Water will now take up the matter at the next meeting of the commission. Pakistan will invoke Article 9/2 of the treaty and take the matter to neutral experts if the dispute is not resolved at the meeting.

There is a provision in the treaty for building a hydro-electric project on Chenab, but the design specifications of the Baghliar project are not in accordance with the provision.