India-Pak Indus Water Treaty meet from August 29

Pakistan will reiterate its serious objections over two water storage and hydropower projects being built by India during a meet with New Delhi this week in Lahore.

A government official told Dawn news on Sunday Indian Water Commissioner PK Saxena, along with a delegation, was expected to reach Lahore on Tuesday to begin the discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Syed Mehr Ali Shah from Wednesday. The official said Pakistan would raise its concerns over the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul and 48 MW Lower Kalnai hydroelectric projects on two different tributaries of River Chenab despite Islamabad’s serious objections over their designs.

Pakistan has been raising reservations over the designs of the two projects and would like India to either modify it to make them compliant to 1960 Indus Waters Treaty or put the projects on hold until an understanding is reached. The official said Islamabad and New Delhi would also finalise the schedule of future meets of the Permanent Indus Commission

and visits of the teams of the Indus commissioners.

He said the water commissioners were required to meet twice a year and arrange technical visits.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has banned the VIP culture at airports for “influential people”, including politicians, judges and armymen as part of the new austerity plan.