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Pakistan shall be raising its concerns over the inauguration of the Kishanganga hydropower plant by India during high-level talks with the World Bank in Washington on Monday, Radio Pakistan reported.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, while talking to media persons, said a four-member delegation led by Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf will reiterate Pakistan’s demand to constitute an international court of arbitration.
The dispute revolves around a hydroelectric power plant on the Kishanganga River, which is a tributary of the Jhelum and is known as the Neelum in Pakistan.
The inauguration of Kishanganga hydropower plant which took place on Saturday includes a dam on the tributary barely metres away from the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region.
Explore: EXPLAINER: WHAT IS THE KISHANGANGA DISPUTE?
Pakistan has termed the project's inauguration a serious breach of the Indus Water Treaty which was hammered out by the World Bank in 1960.
Chaudhry has said that it is imperative that the World Bank as a guarantor of the accord intervene and fulfil its duty.
He expressed grave concern over the dam's construction as it will likely disrupt the flow of water into Pakistan which is especially crucial for the country's agriculture.
The 330-megawatt Kishanganga hydropower station is one of the projects that India has fast-tracked in the disputed Himalayan region amid frosty ties between the two countries. India reportedly plans on undertaking several such projects in the disputed territory.
Pakistan has opposed some of these projects, saying they violate a World Bank-mediated treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus and its tributaries upon which 80 per cent of its irrigated agriculture depends.
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Comments (45) Closed
May 20, 2018 07:13pm
What can and will the WB do when India is adhering by the letter to the treaty and finally utilising its full share of water?
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May 20, 2018 07:15pm
Good morning to the authorities .
It's more optics to show people of Pakistan that you protested
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May 20, 2018 07:23pm
stop crying and do something for Pakistan now..
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May 20, 2018 07:25pm
Who listens to you??
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May 20, 2018 07:26pm
India is now an energy surplus country for the last few years, according to the energy minister, why is India constructing run of the river project just for electricity. India had the surplus and run of the river projects had no reservoirs for longer period, so the idea is not to benefit India but to cause water shortages in Pakistan.
Ar there other valid reasons for it...
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May 20, 2018 07:38pm
Why were we sleeping over this for the last 5 years..?!
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May 20, 2018 07:55pm
Another American holiday for a few Pakistani officials. That's it. Waste of tax payers money as nothing is going to come out of it.
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May 20, 2018 07:56pm
India is an economic & military power house, next to China. World Bank will just shut their eyes and ears to Pakistan's voice..
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May 20, 2018 08:06pm
What part of the treaty does Pakistan allege India has broken?
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May 20, 2018 08:10pm
It's pointless objecting to India's efforts to conserve water. What has Pakistan done in last seventy years to build dams. Whatever the British did, there's no change in that. No Wonder, Pakistan will face acute water shortage and crisis in future. Wake up before it's too late.
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May 20, 2018 08:11pm
Too little, too late. Were they sleeping up till now? They must be prosecuted for their negligence or ignorance, which in essence is tantamount to a crime because it deals with the crucial and life-saving and life-essential commodity called water, for the great land and 225 million people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
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May 20, 2018 08:27pm
Pakistan should renegotiate Indus Water Treaty with India. Otherwise should Pakistan should bomb the Indian dams!
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May 20, 2018 08:27pm
Pakistan still not able to utilize whatever it's available to Pakistan, waisting More then 50% in Sea and crying for others right if someone using his part. What's ignorance neither eat and not let others too.
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May 20, 2018 08:32pm
With the current world political equation India is unstoppable to construct the project.may there are rooms to construct the project out of the treaty.
So world bank will stand by India.
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May 20, 2018 08:37pm
Atleast 2 more dams coming up do best of luck for Pakistan!!
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May 20, 2018 08:45pm
Trust me, no one will listen to Pakistans complaintt unless Pakistan sincerely listens to its neighbors complaints first
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May 20, 2018 08:50pm
Other than feeling victimized - things Pakistan can do
1. Build more dams / water storage / canals to better utilize the available water resources.
2. Focus on improving the economy (which means better education, better health care, better regulations to encourage entrepreneurs and FDI, better infrastructure, better jobs resulting in more tax payers, more exports etc.) on your own terms.
3. Better relations with all neighbors - no covert and overt support for violence of any kind.
4. Please don’t expect CPEC to be a panacea for all your ills. China is spending money to improve its economy, if not they would have given the money for CPEC as a grant rather than a loan.
What Pakistani citizens need is a new way of addressing the problems - rather than rely on UN, World bank and other such organizations or friendly countries to come to your rescue.
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May 20, 2018 08:56pm
@N.S Because we want to get rid of Coal operated thermal powers and only want to have clean energy. Any problems?
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May 20, 2018 09:08pm
for your information this is hydro power project. Water is flow asuseal.. and who stop you to make this type of project in pakistan.80% of water flow to see in pkistan and you people are scarcity of water. think about it and develop ur power project to avoid 18 hour powercut.
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May 20, 2018 09:14pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad no they were not sleeping. They took the case for arbitration and lost. They lost it because building this dam is not a violation of the IWT.
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May 20, 2018 09:15pm
Some times I feel Pakistan is a great nuisance to its own people. Instead of unnecessarily making hue and cry it should focus on the progress and welfare of its people.
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May 20, 2018 09:25pm
WB ? so we are pursuing a lost cause.
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May 20, 2018 09:28pm
Pakistan completed the Neelum Jhelum project of 960 MW's just a few months ago and Pakistan fast tracked the construction so as to meet the deadline that If Pakistan constructs the project earlier, according to IWT Pakistan had the full right as a lower riparian country to utilize the Neelum river water(Kishanganga). India stopping the water is against this clause of IWT(first come first serve basis).
Pakistan is well within it right to take this project to Intl' court as India violated the clauses of IWT here. The point is Pakistan completed Neelum Jhelum project earlier than Kishanganga by India...and that was the main point here, let's see the arbitration results and world bank observations here.
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May 20, 2018 09:37pm
Pakistan should be happy and grateful to india bcz this project is for the people of kashmir
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May 20, 2018 09:39pm
Just another foreign holiday trip..
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May 20, 2018 09:42pm
@Mahi if Pakistan bomb these dams, flood will come to Pakistan ultimately.
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May 20, 2018 09:49pm
Too late,
Issue has been on table since era of musharaf, none did effort, as all wanted good relations with India. Even Bajwa sb has said so, while Modi year back gave go ahead to starve pakistan of water mega plan, it was reported than all slept.
Well, Modi has built and he will build more, as per plan.
NS betrayed us, which is fact.
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May 20, 2018 10:09pm
We too should build dams and cut water supply to that country
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May 20, 2018 10:20pm
@Shoaib nothing to do with Modi. Project started in the year 2007, attest 7 years before Modi assumed power.
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May 20, 2018 10:23pm
World bank approved it, who is listening to you?
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May 20, 2018 11:02pm
Now why r they not thinking about Kasmiris ?It is for their benefit only
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May 20, 2018 11:04pm
@The Real Haroon .Rivers run from India to Pakistan. Not from Pakistan to India.
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May 21, 2018 12:08am
@N.S
India will use its water as it wants to
Why not question why Pakistan is not utilizing its water and building dams ?
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May 21, 2018 12:12am
@N.S
read the treaty
then comment
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May 21, 2018 02:10am
@N.S India is building surplus power capacity for the future and may be to be able to sell cheaper power to Pakistan because you cannot seem to meet your needs.by yourself.
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May 21, 2018 02:18am
India is only taking its own share of water. Pakistan does not utilize its own share of power to its full potential.what is the fault of india in this ?
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May 21, 2018 02:53am
@N.S
Being energy surplus does not mean India should stop exploring further options for cheaper electricity.
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May 21, 2018 03:05am
@Mahi or just divert the course of water from source. Make new river for us.
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May 21, 2018 03:06am
@Ashok The diversion and storage. Read the agreement. WB agrees with Pakistan stance, India is playing delaying tactics.
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May 21, 2018 03:32am
World bank is not a guarantor. Its part financier and a witness to the Indus water treaty. It also has decision making power when both parties want arbitration.Its not Guarantor but a facilitator. Nothing more.So stop fooling us.Best solution is to talk.
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May 21, 2018 03:40am
@fRedIndian you are no expert, let the experts decide infront of independent panel. India hates independents because it gets caught out, hence its evasion of the hearing.
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May 21, 2018 03:41am
@Vk And Kashmiris should decide not India.
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May 21, 2018 07:05am
@N.S actually only 1 unit of your project has come to life and in our case all the 3 unit are up and running. So the overall project completion stands in favour of India while your corruption ridden dam drags on.
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May 21, 2018 07:14am
The current scenario has been predicted by Prof. Dr. Iqbal Ali couple of years ago in his book "The undeclared water war."
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May 21, 2018 01:14pm
@Moin - By the same token, why not our "complaints first"?
Look at the level of your hubris! Utterly myopic view if you think there is first or second in having a dialogue to resolve issues!
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