Pakistan and India on Thursday made no headway to resolve Wullar Barrage dispute as both sides were not ready to change their historical stance, informed sources told Business Recorder. Indian team is led by Water Resources Secretary, Dhruv Vijai Singh, whereas Javed Iqbal, Secretary Water and Power is heading Pakistani panel comprising officials from other relevant ministries and departments.
"Pakistan maintains that India cannot build any storage reservoirs on rivers designated for Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty, 1960 while New Delhi is showing a willingness to revise the design of the project, but not ready to scrap the project," said an insider after first session of talks.
According to the Indus Water Treaty, 1960, three Western rivers, Indus, Chenab and the Jheum belong to Pakistan and the three eastern rivers, the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi belong to India. However, in daring violation of the Indus Water Treaty in letter and in spirit-India has built several dams and barrages on the three western rivers, which belong to Pakistan.
India began a "navigation project" in 1985 to divert and steal the water from the Indus, the Chebab and the Jhelum, but halted work on it two years later following protests from Pakistan. Pakistan maintains that the project will obstruct the flow of water to Pakistan and threaten irrigation and power projects. According to the original Indian plan, the barrage was expected to be 439-feet long and 40-feet wide, and would have a maximum storage capacity of 0.30 million acres feet of water.
Pakistan took the case to Indus Waters Commission in 1986; a year later it admitted its failure to resolve the issue. Before Pakistan moved International Arbitral Court, India stopped construction. Talks will continue on Friday and Saturday but insiders believe the meeting will conclude without resolving the issue, but with the decision to continue deliberations on the issue.