World Bank’s effective role sought to resolve Pakistan-India water dispute

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday sought the World Bank’s effective role in resolving the water dispute with neighbouring India.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi called on a delegation of the World Bank headed by Regional Vice President Annette Dixon at the PM house. Patchamuthu Illangovan, country director of the bank, Snezana Stoilikovic and regional vice president of International Finance Corporation accompanied Dixon.

“Various ongoing developmental projects being undertaken in partnership with the World Bank and the dispute with India over Kishanganga and Ratle projects came under discussion during the meeting,” a statement said.

“The Prime Minister emphasised that Pakistan looks forward to World Bank support in the timely completion of the ongoing developmental projects and, in particular, expects that the World Bank would help resolve the water dispute with India by effectively playing the role mandated to it under the Indus Waters Treaty,” the statement added. The World Bank is a custodian of the Indus Waters Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1960.

The Treaty designates two rivers as well as the Indus River as the western rivers to which Pakistan has unrestricted use. Under the agreement, India is permitted to construct hydroelectric power facilities on these rivers subject to the predefined constraints.

Pakistan and India disagree over whether or not technical design features of the two hydroelectric plants Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts), being built on tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers by India, contravene the Indus Waters Treaty.

The two biggest South Asian’s economies, however, failed to reach consensus on the dispute resolution mechanism needed to find an amicable solution despite a number of bilateral meetings, including secretary-level talks.

The Prime Minister further informed the World Bank’s delegation of the overall reform agenda of the present government, which has resulted in revival of the economy, putting economic growth on an upward trajectory. The country achieved a decade-high growth rate of 5.3 percent for the last fiscal year of 2016/17 and it sets six percent growth target for the current fiscal year.

Abbasi said significant improvement of law and order, management of energy crisis and massive infrastructure development being undertaken under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project would further strengthen the economy and improve the overall economic outlook.

“The government is also taking concrete measures to improve ease of doing business in the country,” he said.

The Washington-based lender had earlier expressed optimism over the progress made by the country to implement business-friendly reforms despite that country’s rank in its ‘Doing Business 2018’ index slid three notches to 147 out of 190 economies.

Dixon assured the prime minister of continued support of the World Bank to the country.

Minister for Water Resources Javed Ali Shah, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Secretary Finance Arif Ahmed Khan, Secretary Water Resources Shamail Ahmed and other senior officers were also present during the meeting.