WASHINGTON, March 7: India has submitted its response to the World Bank to Pakistan's objections to the construction of a dam over the Chenab River in occupied Kashmir, bank sources told Dawn.

The bank had asked India to send its response by Feb 22 and the sources said the Indian response reached the bank within the stipulated period. The sources refused to give details of the Indian position but said the bank would review it and then decide whether to appoint a neutral expert to conduct a separate inquiry.

"A neutral expert could be appointed by end of March or early next month," said a senior World Bank source. When asked for comment, the bank's communication manager for South Asia, Dale Lautenbach, told Dawn: "I don't see the bank dragging its feet on this matter. It would be in everyone's interest to work expeditiously to resolve it. But I don't know the timeframe."

She added: "the bank has to be meticulous in following the steps laid out in the treaty." Last month, the bank had asked Pakistan to submit a report on its objections to the construction of the Baglihar dam and also to provide documentary evidence to prove that it had exhausted all possible means for resolving this issue bilaterally with India before approaching the bank.

The 1960 Indus water-sharing accord between India and Pakistan requires the two sides to try to resolve their disputes bilaterally before approaching the bank, which is also a signatory.

If the neutral expert also fails to resolve the dispute, the bank will then be required to appoint a tribunal and the decision of this tribunal will be binding on both India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, an Indian delegation asked President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad last week to let the two countries settle the dispute bilaterally even though the matter had already been referred to the World Bank. But a delegate later told reporters that the president remained non-committal on this question.