March 8, 2002	Friday	Zilhaj 23, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, March 7: Provincial representatives at the Indus River System Authority agreed on Tuesday on seeking an independent interpretation of the controversial 14-B clause of the 1991 Water Accord.

Irsa Secretly Sohail Ali Khan told a news briefing that the Chief Executive Secretariat, which had asked for evolving a compromised formula, would be conveyed about the conclusion that an independent interpretation of the 14-B clause would be sought rather than introducing a new formula.

Irsa’s recommendations would be sent to the Chief Executive Secretariat on Friday and discussed there at a meeting on March 15 or 16.

Irsa reached the conclusion when the representatives of Punjab and Sindh, the two main contenders of irrigation water, rejected each other’s formula as well as the one presented by the NWFP.

However, there was convergence of the view between the two that the 1991 accord should not be compromised by introducing any new formula. They noted that except for divergence on the interpretation of clause 14-B their was complete unanimity on the rest of the document, the secretary said.

Representatives of Punjab and Sindh, who had been asked to consult their governments on the NWFP formula, informed the authority that they were not ready to accept any new formula.

The 1991 accord has a provision that in case of any dispute between the provinces, it could be referred to the Council of Common Interests for resolution.

The Irsa secretary had no satisfactory reply to the question that in the given situation when there existed no CCI who would resolve the dispute and whether the decision of any individual, no matter how strong his position may be, would be acceptable to all the provinces. “It could be any higher authority” was all what the secretary said.

The same clause had been referred for interpretation to the Law Division last year. The Law Division had upheld the view that in presence of the 1991 accord no other formula could be applied for distribution of irrigation water among the provinces.