Sunday, May 8 2005 15:51 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Water officials from India and Pakistan today (May 8, 2005) held talks in Lahore to resolve differences over the Kishenganga hydro-power project, planned to be built by India over Jhelum river in Jammu and Kashmir.

A delegation of officials from the Permanent Indus Waters Commission of India arrived in Lahore yesterday for the talks, which were delayed by a day due to change in travel plans of the Indian team, officials in Islamabad said. The talks were earlier scheduled to begin yesterday.

Officials from the Permanent Indus Water Commissions of both the countries, who earlier failed to resolve differences over Baglihar hydro-power project, have begun a new exercise to iron out differences this time on the Kishenganga project under the provisions of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.

Pakistan said its main objection to the Kishenganga project was the 21-km-long underground canal envisaged by India which, it claimed, was violation of the treaty.

Before today's talks, the Commissioner of Pakistan's Permanent Indus Waters Commission, Jamat Ali Shah, told the media that Islamabad had already conveyed its objections during the past two rounds of meetings with their Indian counterparts on Kishenganga and wanted an early resolution.

In the run-up to the talks, Shah said that unlike talks over Baglihar, which went on for years, Pakistan would be insisting on a time bound resolution of the differences on Kishenganga through bilateral talks, failing which it preferred to approach the World Bank, as it did in the case of Baglihar, for international arbitration.

Shah also said Pakistan may suggest a time line of one to three months to sort out the differences.

The two sides had held preliminary talks on the project last year. The bilateral talks were essential under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty before either of the parties moved for arbitration under the aegis of World Bank which was given the status of arbitrator under the Treaty.

The Kishenganga talks were being held a day before the expiry of the deadline for both the countries to respond to the World Bank's nomination of three international water experts made on April 26. The two countries could either agree for the three, choose one or can call for fresh nominations.

Pakistani officials were keen to know of India's response to the World Bank nomination of neutral experts as the issue was discussed threadbare during the last month's talks between President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.