ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: Pakistan on Monday said it expected the World Bank’s neutral expert to give his verdict on the Baglihar dam dispute strictly in accordance with the Indus Waters Treaty.

This was stated by Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam when asked if a verdict outside the ambit of the Indus Waters Treaty was possible. The spokesperson said the neutral expert had been appointed by the World Bank under provisions of the treaty to which the bank was guarantor, adding: “Therefore, he has to give his determination and his judgment within the context of the Indus Waters Treaty because his mandate flows from provisions of that treaty and we expect him to abide by the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty.”

Responding to another question, she said the verdict on the Baglihar dispute had been deferred by the neutral expert until February because of “certain new elements” brought to his notice by Pakistan.

Noting that he would be looking into the “new elements” before giving his final decision, the FO spokesperson said that at the moment there was no indication of his convening another meeting with the two parties.

Neutral expert Raymond Latiffe, arbitrating on the Baglihar dam dispute between Pakistan and India, had earlier informed the two parties that his decision would come in December.

Pakistan had formally approached the World Bank on Jan 18, 2005, to appoint a neutral expert to arbitrate on the dam dispute with India under Article 9(2) (a) of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty brokered by the bank. In May 2005, the bank had appointed the neutral expert who had convened the first meeting in June 2005 in Paris. The Washington meeting in November this year was the fifth and the last one that he had held with the two parties. —Q.A.