After Baglihar, Pak raises Dul-Hasti Dam ghost

Pakistani officials have said that the construction of the dam 'violates the Indus Water Treaty on Ranbir canal'.

After raising up the Baglihar dam issue with the World Bank, Pakistan is also likely to raise technical objections to India's 900 MW Dul-Hasti dam coming up across the River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.

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According to The News, Pakistani officials have said that the construction of the dam 'is in complete violation to the Indus Water Treaty on Ranbir canal'.

A Pakistani delegation led by the Commissioner for Indus Waters Syed Jamaat Ali Shah has also left for India to hold talks with Indian officials as well as visit the two-hydropower projects and two canals from the Chenab River to see if there was any violation to the Indus Water Treaty of 1960.

Senior officials in the Water and Power Ministry, the Pakistan Commission for Indus Water and the Foreign Affairs Ministry believe that the Dul-Hasti, nearing completion, has been built for storing water for irrigation needs, in complete violation of the treaty, which in effect allows the construction of a dam for hydroelectric uses with technical and engineering limitations.

"Yes, we do have reservation over the Dul-Hasti dam as well and we will raise it with the other side after gathering more data during the on-site inspection," the paper quoted Pakistani Commissioner Jamat Ali Shah as saying.