LAHORE, June 3: The recent meeting of the permanent commissioners of the Indus Basin Water Treaty at New Dehli has ensured a smooth continuation of the treaty in spite of border tension.

This was stated by Mr Mehmoodul Hassan Siddiqui, consultant at the Punjab Irrigation and Power Department, who returned on Sunday after attending the meeting.

This, he termed, was the most beneficial part of the meeting. It was mandatory to ensure the functioning of the treaty. The meeting, he said, started on a positive note as Indian print and electronic media questioned its government wisdom to use the treaty as a political tool. This kind of favourable media response went in the favour of the Pakistani delegation, Mr Siddqui said.

The Indian side had also agreed to re-design the Bhagliar power project on the Chenab to remove objections by Pakistan and submit the new design to it. Now, he said, Pakistan would wait for the design before commenting on it.

Pakistan had objected to the project and maintained that India could not build a reservoir on the river as it was against the treaty. Though the reservoir had a very minor capacity, it was against the principle of the treaty.

The Indian side, Mr Siddiqui said, had put a charge of Rs3.8 million on the transfer of flood data that Pakistan required. The Indian side had been providing this data free of cost since 1989 though it could charge Pakistan for the same. Now it asked for Rs3.8 million but the Pakistani side examined the issue and decided that Rs1.5 million could be covered under the treaty and paid.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani delegation invited its counterpart for a visit to Pakistan during the month of June and agreed to pay a return visit in July. Dates for the both visits would be finalized by the permanent commissioners with mutual consultations.