LAHORE, July 31: The final round of talks between Pakistan and India on the Kishanganga dam has been delayed again, with both sides still struggling to find a ‘suitable’ time for dialogue.

According to sources in the Pakistan Commissionerate of the Indus Basin Water Treaty, the delay has been caused by the Indian refusal to entertain Pakistan’s request for talks on July 30, as its delegation (already in India to inspect the Baglihar dam) had completed its work and was available for talks on the Kishanganga dam.

India maintained that since many departments were involved in the process it was difficult to gather all of them on the date given by Pakistan. Instead, it suggested a meeting, followed by a site tour, on August 11. But this date does not suit Pakistan due to other engagements of its officials, the sources said.

Pakistan, they said, was trying to find another date for the final round of talks in August. It also hoped that the new date would suit India and there were no more delays. However, there was no guarantee that the Indian side would accept the new date that Pakistan planned to propose in the next few days.

It may be mentioned that both sides had set a deadline of July 15 to resolve the Kishanganga dam issue when commissioners from the two countries met in May this year. The deadline has already passed, with both sides trying to control the damage and maintaining that a few weeks’ time hardly mattered in talks on such projects.

Independent experts are of the view that such time loss is matter of concern more for Pakistan. “It is the traditional Indian ploy of gaining time and changing ground realities in the meantime,” says a former official of the office of Commissioner for Indus Basin Treaty.

Pakistan must not look like being engaged in talks while India continues building dam at the site. It could only be done at national risk, he said.