An Indian delegation consisting of ten members arrived in Pakistan today to attend the 113th Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) meeting which will be held in Islamabad from tomorrow (Monday).
The 10-member delegation, which will take part in the two-day meeting, comprises of India’s Indus Water Commissioner PK Saxena, MEA officials and technical experts.
Indian media said the key problem from the Indian side would be to resolve differences over the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects that are being constructed on the Jhelum and Chenab rivers, respectively. Pakistan has been opposing both projects saying that they violate the provisions of the treaty. Conflict increased when Prime Minister Narendra Modi threatened to block the flow of water into Pakistan. However, India has maintained that it never reduced the water flow to Pakistan.
Pakistan has firmly stated that changes or altercations to the treaty would not be accepted. India had earlier said that it was ready to engage in further discussions with the neighbouring country over resolving the current differences over the two hydropower projects under the treaty. However, Pakistan has argued that India was buying time to complete both projects.
Pakistan has consistently objected to the design of the Kishenganga project (330-MW) saying that the construction of the plant would lead to a 40 per cent reduction in the water that flows into the country, thereby violating the provisions of the treaty. As far as the Ratle power plant project (850-MW) is concerned, Pakistan wants India to reduce the planned storage capacity of the project from 24 million cubic metres to 8 million cubic metres. It also wants India to reduce the height of the dams.
The Pakistani side is expected to raise issues related to three dams, Pakuldul (1000 MW) on Chenab, Miyar (120 MW) located across Miyar Nalla, a right bank main tributary of the Chenab River, and Lower Kalnai hydro project (43 MW), a tributary of Chenab. Both India and Pakistan seem to have left it to the experts to resolve technical issues related to water-sharing.