Saturday, January 1 2005 17:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Top Indian and Pakistan Water officials would meet in New Delhi on Tuesday (Jan 4, 2005) to hold talks on the hydropower project being built by India on the river Chenab at Baglihar in Jammu and Kashmir.

Indian and Pakistan Water Secretaries along with Commissioners of the Indus Water Commission would hold two-day talks from Jan 4 to discuss a way out of the present impasse between the two countries over the construction of the 430 MW project, which was due to be ready this year.

Pakistan has taken a stand that the project was being constructed in violation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which has granted the riparian rights to it over Chenab besides Indus and Jhelum.

India has refuted it saying that the Treaty provided a provision for building hydropower projects.

Indian officials argue that Pakistan has been taking extreme stand from the beginning without having the requisite data at its disposal.

India has provided the additional data wanted by Pakistan only last month and suggested talks at the level Water Secretaries to resolve it after Islamabad studied the new data.

Pakistan said it would approach the World Bank for arbitration if no breakthrough is achieved.