It is unlikely that India will participate in the secretary level meeting with Pakistan in Washington over the Indus Waters Treaty in April as the Indian government feels the World Bank's proposal of the meeting is against the "spirit of the pact."
Pakistan Water and Power Minister Khwaja Asif had announced earlier this week that the two countries would hold a "three-day way forward'" meeting in April in Washington to resolve issues related to the Ratle and Kishenganga projects. Pakistan media reports had said the meeting would be mediated by the president of the World Bank.
According to local media reports, India wants to look for an alternative option to break the deadlock as the Indus Waters Treaty has a 'dispute resolution system' built into it. India believes the World Bank has been working against the spirit of the pact by bringing into force two separate dispute resolution mechanisms. Also, India feels all issues should be discussed and resolved by the Indus Commission and not through a mediated meeting.
According to India, the World Bank has been "biased" when it came to following the provisions of the Treaty. The World Bank had brokered the pact, which was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan, in 1960. The government will not participate in any meeting "which is against the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty."
The World Bank, according to sources quoted by the Hindustan Times, is acting as a 'mediator' between India and Pakistan when it should actually play the role of a 'facilitator' between both countries to resolve all issues "in accordance with the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty." The World Bank had proposed that the water resources secretaries of both countries meet for three days in April.
The World Bank had begun two parallel processes in 2016. It accepted India's request by appointing a neutral expert and also fulfilled Pakistan's wish of setting up a Court of Arbitration to resolve the matter. However, it eventually had to abandon both processes following backlash from the Indian government.
Officials of the Indus Commission from both countries met in Islamabad on March 21 and 22 to resolve differences, but no significant progress could be made on the matter. The key problem for the Indian side is to resolve differences over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydro power projects. Pakistan has been opposing both projects saying they violate the provisions of the treaty.
The Nawaz Sharif-led government of Pakistan consistently objected to the design of the Kishenganga project (330-MW) saying the construction of the plant would lead to a 40 percent reduction in the waterflow into the country, thereby violating the provisions of the treaty. India has, however, denied the charges. As far as the Ratle power plant project (850-MW) is concerned, Pakistan wants India to reduce the planned storage capacity of the project from 24 million cubic metres to eight million cubic metres. It also wants India to reduce the height of the dams.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is expected to raise issues related to three dams — Pakuldul (1000 MW) on Chenab, Miyar (120 MW) located across Miyar Nalla, a right bank main tributary of the Chenab River, and Lower Kalnai hydro project (43 MW), a tributary of Chenab.
