Pak,India secretary level talks on Indus Water Treaty end without agreement  

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and India on Saturday failed to reach an agreement during the  latest round of talks on Indus Water Treaty.

“While an agreement has not been reached at the conclusion of the meetings, the World Bank will continue to work with both countries to resolve the issues in an amicable manner and in line with the Treaty provisions,” the World Bank said in a statement.

“Both countries and the World Bank appreciated the discussions and reconfirmed their commitment to the preservation of the Treaty,” the World Bank said after the conclusion of the Secretary-level discussions between the two South Asian neighbours on the technical issues of the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric power plants within the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

The two-day discussion took place in Washington at the World bank headquarters on September 14-15.

“The World Bank remains committed to act in good faith and with complete impartiality and transparency in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Treaty, while continuing to assist the countries,” the bank said in its statement.

The Pakistani delegation was led by Secretary Water Resources Division Arif Ahmed Khan along with Secretary of Water and Power Yousuf Naseem Kho­khar, High Commissioner of Indus Waters Treaty Mirza Asif Baig and Joint Secretary of Water Syed Mehar Ali Shah.

The Indian delegation was led by the Union Water Resources Secretary Amarjit Singh. It also had representatives from Ministry of External Affairs, Power, India’s Indus Water Commissioner and Central Water Commission.

The Indus Water Treaty was signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank.