Due to ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan over Kishanganga dam, the World Bank (WB) has asked Pakistan to stop pursuing the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) and instead accept India’s offer of appointing a “neutral expert”.
What’s the matter?
The construction of Kishanganga dam has been opposed by Pakistan, calling it a violation of a World Bank-mediated treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus and its tributaries. Pakistan argued that the Kishanganga project not only violates the course of the river but also depletes its water level.
While India claims as per 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), building of ‘run-of-river’ hydel projects do not change the course of the river and do not deplete the water level downstream.
India describes it an issue of bilateral differences over the design of the dam. To resolve the issue, India asks to call some neutral experts while Pakistan wants the dispute to be referred to the ICA.
Pakistan’s response
Pakistan believed that acceding to India’s proposal of referring the dispute to neutral experts or withdrawing from its stand would mean closing the doors of arbitration and surrendering its right of raising disputes before international courts.
World Bank’s response
As per WB, Pakistani finance minister Ishaq Dar asked World Bank to stop the process of appointing the ICA chairman as well as the neutral expert. On this, Dar had lodged a strong protest with the WB and had asked the bank to play its due role in the matter.
Although four rounds of talks were held in February, April, July and September in Washington last year in which WB was willing to appoint an international court to pick between the two options.
