Pakistan will stick to its stance on Wullar Barrage at next meeting

By Khalid Mustafa

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will stick to its stand on the Wullar Barrage during the meeting of working groups of India and Pakistan by March end as part of the composite dialogue.

This will be the 10th meeting on the issue.

Sources told Daily Times that the Pakistan Commission of Indus Waters (PCIW) had written to the federal government that a negotiated settlement was not in Pakistan’s interest as violations of 1960’s Indus Water Treaty may ultimately lead to a compromise by Pakistan on rights given by the Treaty.

India started building Wullar Barrage or Tulbal Navigation Project in 1984 without informing Pakistan.

After Pakistan protested that India is not allowed to construct such a storage facility on the main stem of Jhelum River under the treaty, Delhi suspended the construction in 1987.

Pakistan warned India that it would seek arbitration of the World Bank, which is the main guarantor to the Indus Water Treaty, but India wants the solution solved through talks because it knows that Pakistan’s case was strong.

“The project is being monitored by the PCIW regularly and the last imagery through satellite was done on October 29, 2003,” sources said.

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