ISLAMABAD, Jan 30: Pakistan wants to inspect the Baglihar dam to see if India has complied with the World Bank neutral expert’s verdict regarding the design of the power project.

“The Indus Basin Treaty Commissioner for Pakistan is in touch with his Indian counterpart to visit the dam site for inspection before it becomes operational,” Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said at his weekly briefing on Wednesday.

India has announced that the first phase of the 450MW project on the Chenab River in the Indian-controlled Kashmir will be commissioned by June this year.

Mr Sadiq said Pakistan hoped that World Bank’s decision regarding specifications of the dam would be implemented by India in letter and spirit.

The World Bank-appointed neutral expert had asked India to reduce the height of the dam by one and a half metres. The dam’s height was originally proposed to be 144.5 metres.

In 2005, Pakistan had sought intervention of the World Bank which is the third party to the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, alleging that construction of the project violated the accord. The expert had upheld three of the four objections raised by Pakistan. Reservations about the spillway had been rejected.

The body of the late US diplomat, Keith Rayon, had been sent to the US, he said.

Mr Ryan, 37, was found dead at his residence on Monday, the day he was due to return to his country. He had a bullet wound in his skull and is thought to have committed suicide. Autopsy was not carried out.

“In deference to the wishes of the family and the US Embassy and the fact that the late official had a diplomatic status, autopsy was not done here but it could be done elsewhere,” said the spokesman.

Responding to a question regarding Mr Boucher’s congressional testimony, Mr Sadiq said the government at the highest level had pledged to the people of Pakistan that the elections would be free and fair. “This is the most important commitment and the government plans to follow through on it,” he emphasised.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher had told a congressional hearing about the Feb 18 polls: “We don’t necessarily accept a certain level of fraud but if history is any guide and reports are any guide, we should expect some.”

The Executive Committee of the OIC, he said, would be meeting on Feb 3 in Jeddah to discuss the situation in Gaza. Foreign Minister Inamul Haque will represent Pakistan in the meeting.

Defending caretaker prime minister Mohammedmian Soomro’s visit to Yemen and Saudi Arabia weeks before the crucial elections, he said: “Foreign policy and trade promotion cannot be shut down while a caretaker government is in power.”

Mr Soomro will be paying a goodwill visit to Yemen on Feb 1 and 2 on an invitation from the prime minister of the country. His delegation will have a number of businessmen. He will be interacting with the government leaders and businessmen, particularly importers of Pakistani products.

On his way back, Mr Soomro will visit Saudi Arabia and perform Umra.

Responding to a question about the outcome of President Musharraf’s recent visit to four countries of Europe during which he also had a ‘chance meeting’ with Israeli defence minister, the spokesman said: “He was able to effectively convey Pakistan’s position on a number of issues to his interlocutors which was the purpose of the visit.”

The spokesman said: “No proposal is under consideration to establish diplomatic relations with Israel. A just resolution of the Palestine issue is a pre-requisite for any movement in that direction.”