ISLAMABAD, May 9: The Permanent Indus Commission will finally convene in New Delhi for three days starting May 29.

When contacted on Thursday, the spokesman of Water and Power Division confirmed that India had communicated the dates for the commission meeting to the authorities in Pakistan but said he did not have any specific information about the agenda for the meeting.

This will be the 87th meeting between the two commissioners since the signing of the Indus Water Treaty in 1960. The last meeting was held in Islamabad in May 2001.

Officials at the ministries of foreign affairs and water and power say that Pakistan will raise its concerns about Indian violations of the treaty and would do its best to resolve them.

Controversial Indian projects that violate the Indus Water Treaty to the detriment of Pakistan will come up for discussion at the forthcoming meeting. These include the Baglihar hydroelectric project on Chenab River in occupied Kashmir and the construction of flood protection works on the Indian side of Ravi River. These projects, technical experts warn, could lead to acute water shortages and inundation of a vast area on the Pakistani side in case of a flood.

The issue of inspection tour to the site of the Baglihar project that was scheduled for December 2001 but put off by India at the last moment will also be pursued by Pakistan delegation.

Foreign Office spokesman Aziz Khan at his weekly briefing said on Monday if the irritants could not be removed at the Indus Commissioners’ level then Pakistan would use the diplomatic channel and if that, too, failed to resolve the issues then it would invoke the arbitration provision as specified under the treaty.

The Pakistan delegation, still to be formally approved by the president, will be headed by the Commission Director, Jamil Memon, officiating as acting commissioner in the absence of the commissioner, who is abroad on leave.