Indian offer to modify design welcomed: Kishanganga project
By Khaleeq Kiani
ISLAMABAD, April 19: Pakistan on Wednesday welcomed with guarded optimism India’s offer to modify its controversial Kishanganga project and hoped India would submit its revised plan at the earliest for Islamabad’s consideration.
“Once we receive a formal proposal our experts will examine it and then we will be able to respond,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told Dawn.
Other informed sources said Pakistan would not hesitate to accept a modified design of the Kishanganga Hydropower Project that did not reduce flow of river waters to Pakistan by diverting them to India and satisfied Islamabad about New Delhi’s sincerity of not using delaying tactics.
Islamabad would at no cost allow any diversion of river waters by India that may affect Pakistan’s power generation capacity on river Jhelum, the sources said.
The reaction came following a statement by Indian union minister Kapil Sibal that New Delhi would propose modifications in the 330-mw project in held Kashmir to make it a run-of-the-river project, instead of originally storage and power generation project.
“This proves Pakistan’s stand that Indian design on the project was violative of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty,” a senior official said. “It has also demonstrated that it has been New Delhi’s consistent policy to come up with projects in total disregard to the internationally recognised treaties and then changing them on being confronted aggressively.”
“It is success of our proactive strategy towards protecting our water rights that forced India to change Kishanganga’s design from a water storage project to a run-of-the river project,” the official said.
The sources said originally India planned to construct Kishanganga Storage and Power Generation Project to produce 330- mw of electricity. If the height of the dam is reduced in a revised plan, it would reduce the electricity production period from the originally planned 8,000 hours per year to 2,000 hours per year.
Pakistan had robustly challenged the Indian project on the ground that New Delhi could not construct a storage and divert Neelum river waters under the Indus Basin Water Treaty.
Pakistan made known during the last meeting of the Permanent Indus Water Commissioners of the two countries that in the event the talks failed to resolve the issue, it would take the dispute to the International Court of Arbitration.
Under the mechanism defined in the treaty, the two were consequently required to prepare a joint report for arbitration.
Pakistan Commissioner for Indus Waters Jamaat Ali Shah prepared and presented to his Indian counterpart a draft report envisaging Islamabad’s position on the dispute. He also asked his Indian counterpart to do the same.
India instead of completing the joint report, sought some time and later indicated it would change its position from storage to run-of-the river proposition.
Now, the Indian side would have to come up with new justifications because it has confirmed that its original design was violative of the treaty. “Pakistani government’s policy to confront India to protect Pakistan’s water rights has paid off,” said the source.
In reply to a question, the official said India had also violated the waters treaty in the case of Baglihar power project on river Chenab and Pakistan was left with no option but to seek international arbitration.
He said the neutral expert appointed by the World Bank had invited both India and Pakistan for the third meeting by end of next month in London.
In the first round, Pakistan submitted a memorandum to the expert and India responded by a counter-memorandum. In the second round, India submitted a rejoinder to the expert and Pakistan filed its reply, he said.
Qudssia Akhlaque adds:
Apparently, Pakistan has already asked its mission in New Delhi to get details of the proposed modifications so that it could make its own assessment. Experts here say the Indian decision to modify the project vindicates Pakistan’s position and indicates that its objections were valid. Some see the Indian announcement as a gimmick to convey the impression that it is giving a concession to Pakistan.
Another view is that India may be buying time given that Pakistan was considering seeking the World Bank intervention on the Kishanganga project just as it has on the Baglihar dam under the Indus Waters Treaty.
The last round of India-Pakistan talks on Kishanganga project was held in New Delhi in November 2005. It was then conveyed to India that there were clear differences on the project and it must address Pakistan’s legitimate concerns.
WULLAR TALKS: Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Wullar Barrage talks scheduled to be held on April 18-19 and postponed at India’s request will not take place this month due to a scheduling problem. According to informed sources the talks will now be held sometime next month.
