LONDON: The International Arbitral Tribunal on the Indo-Pakistan dispute, concerning Rann of Kutch, is now expected to announce its verdict on Feb 19 at Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The tribunal headed by Judge Gunnar Lagergren of Sweden, was originally due to give its verdict on the Rann of Kutch dispute last September. In agreement with the representatives of India and Pakistan, the announcement of the verdict was first postponed until Feb 5 and later until Feb 19.

The procedure of arbitration employed in seeking a solution to the Rann of Kutch dispute is expected to set a precedent for other disputes, notably Kashmir, which is plaguing Indo-Pakistan relations for the past 20 years.

[Meanwhile, as reported by an agency in Islamabad,] Pakistan and the United States are expected to sign, within the next few days, an agreement under which Pakistan will get a dollar 140 million commodity loan, official sources told [agency] today [Feb 2].

The agreement was originally expected to be signed by the end of January. The loan will be used for imports which have been placed on the Free List, these sources said.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2018