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Indo-Pak talks on Baglihar fail
The Secretary-level talks between the two countries have failed to sort out differences over the 450 mw project.
After three days of hectic parleys, India and Pakistan on Friday failed to reach an agreement on the contentious Baglihar project over River Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Secretary-level talks between the two countries have failed to sort out differences over the 450 megawatt project, official sources said.
India has rejected the Pakistani contention that the design of the power project was in violation of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, they said.
The meeting was initially scheduled for two days -- January 4 and 5, but was extended by a day since the two delegations could not hammer out a solution.
Prior to the talks, Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan had accused India of adopting "dilatory tactics" and threatened to seek World Bank arbitration.
The 12-member Indian team led by Secretary (Water Resources) VK Duggal and the Pakistani delegation headed by their Secretary (Water and Power) Ashfaq Mehmood had held "focussed" discussions on six technical areas identified on the first day of the talks on January 4.
The six technical areas under discussion include the gated spillway and the level of intake tunnels.
"Improvements in the design" of the project to be in accordance with the Indus Treaty figured in the discussions, the sources said.
Pakistan has reservations and objections about the design of the 450 MW project and its specifications of the Treaty. India has already rejected Pakistan's stand that it is violating it, saying the Treaty was sacrosanct.
