Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has assured Pakistan that it will make utmost efforts to resolve Kishanganga and Rattle dams issues within the parameters of Indus Basin Treaty, the Foreign Office said Friday.

During a weekly press briefing, FO Spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal, who was part of the Pakistan team that recently visited Washington and held talks with world Bank on the issue, said: “Pakistan believes inauguration of Kishanganga dam by India without resolution of the disputes is violation of the treaty.”

The water talks between the World Bank and Pakistan concluded on Wednesday without reaching any agreement on a way forward to address Islamabad’s concerns regarding the Kishanganga project.

A four-member delegation, led by Attorney General for Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf, apprised the World Bank authorities about the country’s concerns of more than a dozen projects that India intended to complete along the Indus Basin in violation of the Indus Water Treaty.

As opposed to the claims made by Pakistani officials that the delegation was to meet with the World Bank president for three days to discuss technicalities of the project; the World Bank confirmed that the delegation actually met senior officials, including the CEO Kristalina Georgieva, and the regional management for South Asia on May 21 and 22 at Pakistani government’s request to discuss issues and opportunities within the treaty.

During these meetings, several procedural options for resolving the disagreement over the interpretation of the treaty’s provisions were discussed, according to the World Bank, however, “an agreement on the way forward was not reached at the conclusion of the meetings.”

The bank maintained that it would work with both countries (India and Pakistan) to resolve the issues in an amicable manner and in line with the treaty’s provisions. The treaty brokered by the World Bank in 1960 is a profoundly important international agreement that provides an essential cooperative framework for India and Pakistan to address current and future challenges of effective water management to meet human needs and achieve development goals.

Moreover, Dr Faisal said that Islamabad was pursuing the release of 54 Pakistani prisoners currently languishing in Indian jails despite completing their sentences.

He said that Pakistan was also waiting for India to respond to humanitarian proposals with regard to the exchange of prisoners above 60 and below 18 years of age.

“Pakistan has made positive gestures on the humanitarian track vis-a-vis India, as reflected in the release of civilian prisoners, fishermen, and the facilitation of visits of pilgrims to religious shrines. We expect our friendly gestures to be reciprocated,” Faisal told reporters.

The FO also condemned atrocities in Indian-held Kashmir and noted that in the past week, four people had been gunned down by Indian forces.

“Despite draconian measures, the world’s largest military concentration in any disputed territory has failed to suppress the Kashmiri people in their legitimate struggle for the right to self-determination. We urge the international community to play its role in calling India to account for its crimes against the innocent people of the valley,” reiterated the spokesperson.

Briefing the press about other events, Faisal said that the 7th Extraordinary OIC Summit on Palestine was held in Istanbul, Turkey on May 18 to discuss the grave situation in the aftermath of the blatant human rights violations by the occupying forces in the state of Palestine.

He also briefed the media about the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) Legal Experts meeting held from May 23-25 May Islamabad.

According to the FO, the moot discussed ways and means to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation between SCO member states. The meeting was hosted by Pakistan.

Published in Daily Times, May 26^th 2018.