World Bank to set up Court of Arbitration, neutral expert

NEW DELHI: India asked the World Bank not to rush into broker a deal on its dispute with Pakistan over Kishenganga and Ratle projects, asserting that the differences can be resolved bilaterally or through a neutral expert. 

India’s position was conveyed during a meeting of World Bank representative Ian H. Solomon with senior officials of external affairs and water resources ministries. 

Solomon is here as part of World Bank’s efforts to break the deadlock between the two neighbours on the Kishenganga and Ratle projects which are coming up in Jammu and Kashmir. 

In a meeting Thursday, the Indian side, led by joint secretary in the MEA, Gopal Baglay gave a presentation on the two projects and insisted that being a neutral expert he should look into the objections raised by Pakistan on technical issues, government sources said. 

They said India also maintained that the design of the projects do not violate the Indo-Pak Indus Waters Treaty. Under the IWT, signed by India and Pakistan in 1960, the World Bank has a specific role of dispute resolution between the two countries. 

Soloman, on his part, tried to explore ways on how to move forward, the sources said, adding he did not raise query regarding designs of the two projects. 

“We made presentation. We stick to our position that there should be a neutral expert to look into the issue as objections raised by Pakistan relating to the projects concerned are technical in nature.

We also maintained that the projects designs do not violate the IWT. Nothing was decided in the meeting,” said a source.  The World Bank had decided to set up a Court of Arbitration (CoA) to settle the disputes following Pakistan’s demand and also agreed to appoint a neutral expert sought by India. 

India had reacted strongly to the decision to appoint the CoA and last month the World Bank announced it would temporarily halt the two simultaneous processes to resolve the differences. 

 India has been maintaining that it is fully conscious of its international obligations and is ready to engage in further consultations to resolve the differences regarding the two projects.