KARACHI The Indus Waters Treaty was signed at a simple ceremony on the lawns of the President's House last evening, and 'historic' is the only expression which can describe the occasion.

Under a huge 'shamiana', Prime Minister Nehru, President Ayub, and the World Bank Vice-President, Mr W.A.B. Iliff, affixed their signatures to three copies of the treaty; bound in black, amidst continuous whirring, clicking and flashing of still cameras.

At seven minutes to seven, all the five hundred and odd invitees to the ceremony had their eyes fixed in pin-drop silence on the shining teak table at which sat the President, flanked by Mr Nehru on the right and Mr Illiff on the left.

One minute later, the Military Secretary to the President, Brigadier Nawazish Ali, presented the first of the three copies with a green 'sign' tag to Mr Nehru. He signed the document and then passed it on to Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, who, affixing his signature, passed it on to Mr Iliff. The process was repeated three times. Representatives of Pakistan, the World Bank, the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Germany signed the three agreements guaranteeing financial and physical implementation of the Treaty. They affixed their signatures to the 900-million-dollar Indus Basin Development Agreement.

Representatives of the World Bank and Pakistan signed a loans agreement for 90 million dollars, and representatives of Pakistan and the US signed a DLF loan agreement for 70 million dollars.

How much is a billion?

LAHORE The Indus Basin Development Fund provides nearly five billion rupees for replacement works, but very few people know how much a billion is. A statistician in Lahore has put forth a proposition for ascertaining the quantum of money to be spent by WAPDA in 10 years.

He said “Start throwing one-rupee notes into a river, each at every second round the clock. The time consumed in exhausting the entire stock of one billion notes would add up to 31 years, eight months and 10 days. Thus five billion rupees would require nearly 158 years and seven months — about the age of the oldest man who died in Waziristan some time ago.”