World Bank asks Pakistan to accept India’s offer on Kishanganga project: The World Bank has finally asked Pakistan to accept India’s offer of recruiting a neutral expert for the Kishanganga dam dispute instead of pursuing the matter in the International Court of Arbitration (ICA).
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Pakistan wanted to construct the Kishanganga dam in Kashmir over the waters which are flowing into the western rivers a violation of the Indus Water Treaty in 1960. So Pakistan then referred the dispute to the International Court of Arbitration.
Jim Yong Kim, World Bank President advised the Pakistan Government to withdraw from its stand of taking the matter to the ICA. The World Bank even picked a US chief justice, the rector of Imperial College, London to resolve the dispute over the dam.
Indian officials said that there are certain differences between India and Pakistan over the design of the dam and hence, the matter should be resolved by a neutral expert.
A source said, “It will become a precedent and every time a dispute emerges between India and Pakistan, the former will always opt for dispute resolution through a neutral expert.”
On 12th December 2016, the World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim had informed Pakistan by sending a letter to their Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that the bank decided to pause the entire process of appointing the ICA chairman as well as the neutral expert. After that, the Finance Minister of Pakistan didn’t agree to the bank’s decision and lodged a strong protest by saying that the country would not recognise the pause. Rather asked the bank to play its role in the matter.
Last year, the bank further extended the pause until the matter was completely resolved under the secretary-level talks. Four rounds of talks were held between the two countries in February, April, July and September in Washington under which the World Bank was willing to appoint an international court to pick between the two options. But on the other hand, India did not accept the decision.
On May 22, 2018the bank did not agree to Pakistan’s forceful plea and asked the country to express concern by mentioning that it had “noted the inauguration of the Kishanganga Dam by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” according to the sources.
In 1960 water dispute the World Bank played a key role in concluding the entire agreement by allowing India to have control over the water flowing into three eastern rivers that are Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and also permitted India to use the water of western rivers such as Jhelum, Chenab and Indus.
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