ISLAMABAD: The change of Indus Water Commissioner will have no effect on Pakistan’s case which is likely to be taken up by the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) for hearing in January next year, official sources said. The Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah was made an officer on special duty (OSD) on Wednesday by the government and his deputy Sheraz Memon was appointed as acting commissioner till further orders. The sources said the Water and Power Ministry had no problems with the honest and former Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah but the orders from high ups made the ministry issue the notification.
However, they said the government’s case at ICA would not be affected as nobody was indispensable. The ICA is likely to take up the case for hearing in January next year on 330 MW Kishan Ganga Hydro Electric Project, which India is building on the Neelam River in occupied Kashmir. The lower riparian, Pakistan is also constructing 969 MW Neelum Jehlum Hydropower Project on the same river. The construction of the dam by the upper riparian would decrease inflows for the lower riparian.
