February 7, 2003	Friday	Zul Hijjah 5,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: The Pakistan-India talks on the Indus Waters Treaty 1960 ended in failure here on Thursday, with Pakistan announcing referring the dispute over construction of Baglihar Power project on river Chenab by India to a neutral expert for resolution.

“Due to the reluctance of India to resolve the issue at the level of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), in accordance with article IX(1) of the treaty, Pakistan will be left with no option but to invoke article IX(2)(a) of the treaty for the appointment of a neutral expert for the resolution of the issue,” an official announcement issued at the end of the talks said.

This would be the first time since the ratification of the treaty 43 years ago that a dispute on river waters would be referred to a neutral expert for resolution.

The treaty, brokered and guaranteed by the World Bank, has even survived the 1965 and 1971 wars between the two countries, said a senior water and power ministry official.

He said under the treaty the Indian side could not refuse a Pakistan team’s visit to the project site and so agreed to arrange one “as soon as possible” but there were unbridgeable differences over the project design. Pakistan was left with no option but to demand appointment of a neutral expert because India was buying time to complete the project.

The Indian delegation refused to talk to the press at the conclusion of the three-day meeting of Permanent Indus Commission and was directly taken to the airport and seen off by the Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Jamaat Ali Shah.

In a brief chat with the waiting newsmen, he said the objective of a dialogue is sometimes achieved through failure to reach an agreement.

He had promised to return to the ministry of water and power to brief the press after showing the statement to the minister for water and power. However, the statement was later issued after being vetted by the foreign office on the advice of the minister. The reporters were advised to rely on the official statement.