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Pakistan asks World Bank to vouch India abiding IWT

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Pakistan asks World Bank to vouch India abiding IWT

Raising its voice against India once again, Pakistan has asked the World Bank to recognise its responsibility under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 to address its concerns over two disputed projects. This has come at a time when India has completed the Kishanganga hydropower project.

Dawn, a leading Pakistani daily published a report on Thursday quoting an unnamed government official saying that energy ministry has sent a fresh communiqué early this week to the Washington based World Bank’s vice president urging to “recognise its responsibility” and play its role to ensure that India abided by the provisions of the 1960 treaty while building the projects.

In August last year World Bank had allowed India to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Pakistan had opposed the construction of the Kishanganga (330 meawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants being built by India in Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan asks World Bank to vouch India abiding IWTThe World Bank noted that the two countries disagree over whether the technical design features of the two hydroelectric plants contravene the treaty and said that treaty designated these two rivers as well as the Indus as the “Western Rivers” to which Pakistan has unrestricted use.

The Pakistani official said to the Dawn that there was no doubt that India had completed the 330MW Kishanganga project during the period the World Bank “paused” the process for constitution of a Court of Arbitration (COA) as requested by Pakistan in early 2016. India had countered the Pakistani request by calling for a neutral expert.

Pakistan had called for resolution of disputes over Kishanganga project on the Neelum river and 850MW Ratle hydropower project on the Chenab.

The Dawn report further said that in August last year Islamabad had received reports that New Delhi had completed the Kishanganga project as per the design that had been objected to by Pakistan.

The Pakistani official said that the second letter was sent to World Bank after a Pakistani delegation of the Indus Waters Commission was not allowed to visit various controversial projects in India, including Kishanganga and Ratle schemes.

Pakistan asks World Bank to vouch India abiding IWTAccording to Pakistani officials, in December 2016, the World Bank had announced that it had “paused” the process for either appointing a Court of Arbitration (COA) or a neutral expert and started mediation between the two countries.

Since then India and Pakistan held two rounds of talks under the World Bank auspices. On completion of the project Pakistan proposed some modifications to partially address its concerns over the Kishanganga project’s design for water storage without affecting its power generation capacity.  Last round of secretary level talks were held in Washington in September.

Dawn observed that Pakistan’s experience with both the international forums — neutral expert and CoA — has not been satisfactory for varying reasons and outcomes, partially due to domestic weaknesses including delayed decision-making.  Pakistan first challenged the Baglihar hydroelectric project before the neutral expert and then the Kishanganga and Wuller Barrage projects before the CoA.

Pakistan had opposed Indian move saying its water rights were being violated by India on two rivers, the Chenab and Jhelum, through faulty designs of Ratle and Kishanganga projects. Pakistan believed that Kishanganga’s pondage should be a maximum of one million cubic metres instead of 7.5 million cubic metres, intake should be up to four metres and spillways should be raised to nine metres.

About the Ratle project, Pakistan had four objections. Freeboard should be one metre instead of two metres, pondage should be a maximum of eight million cubic metres instead of 24 million, intake level should be at 8.8 metres and spillways at the height of 20 metres.

It believes the Indian design of Ratle project would reduce Chenab flows by 40 per cent at Head Marala and cause considerable irrigation loss to crops. The Ratle dam is believed to be three times larger than the Baglihar dam.

Under the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty, the waters of the eastern rivers — the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi — had been allocated to India and that of the western rivers — the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — to Pakistan except for certain non-consumptive uses.

The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is part of a run-of the-river hyderoelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga river to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. It is located 3 km north of Bandipore with an installed capacity of 330 MW.

Construction on the project began in 2007 and was expected to be complete in 2017. However, construction was halted by Hague’s Court of Arbitration in October 2011 due to Pakistan’s protest. All the three units (3 x 10 MW) were commissioned and synchronised with the electricity grid by 30 March 2018.

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Trump says Iran agrees to never have nuclear weapons, rejects $300 billion fund claim

Donald Trump said Iran has agreed to never possess nuclear weapons under a proposed framework, while dismissing reports that the US would provide Tehran with a $300 billion reconstruction fund.

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Donald Trump statement

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran has agreed to a commitment that it will never develop or possess nuclear weapons, describing it as a central element of a proposed understanding between Washington and Tehran.

Speaking about the ongoing diplomatic efforts, Trump also rejected reports suggesting that the United States planned to provide Iran with a reconstruction or investment package worth $300 billion. He described such claims as false and said no such arrangement had been agreed.

The remarks come as discussions continue over a broader framework aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. According to Trump, the understanding would ensure that Iran remains without nuclear weapons while opening the door for future engagement if the terms are respected.

Questions remain over final agreement details

Despite Trump’s comments, several aspects of the proposed arrangement remain unclear because the full text of the agreement has not yet been made public.

Reports indicate that negotiations have involved discussions on sanctions relief, access to frozen assets and potential economic measures linked to Iran’s compliance with future commitments. However, the exact scope of these provisions has not been officially confirmed.

Another key issue is how compliance would be monitored. Details regarding inspections, verification mechanisms and the handling of Iran’s existing nuclear materials have yet to be fully explained.

Further negotiations expected

Officials have suggested that discussions on technical nuclear matters could continue even after the signing of an initial memorandum of understanding. Such talks would likely focus on implementation and verification measures.

The proposed framework is being closely watched internationally, as any agreement between the United States and Iran could have significant implications for regional stability and global non-proliferation efforts.

For now, Trump has maintained that the core objective remains clear: ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon while denying reports that Washington has committed to a multibillion-dollar reconstruction fund.

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USA start FIFA World Cup 2026 with dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay

The USA opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 journey with a dominant 4-1 victory against Paraguay, earning three valuable points in Group D.

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The United States kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in impressive fashion, securing a commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their Group D opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Playing in front of a passionate home crowd, the hosts delivered an attacking display to collect all three points and make an early statement in the tournament. The match also marked a significant occasion as the USA hosted part of the World Cup opening festivities before turning attention to the action on the pitch.

The Americans took control early and maintained pressure on Paraguay throughout the contest. Their attacking movement and clinical finishing helped them establish a comfortable lead, while Paraguay struggled to contain the hosts’ pace and creativity in the final third.

USA seize control after fast start

The United States settled quickly and found success going forward, creating several opportunities through quick passing and aggressive pressing. Their attacking approach paid off as they built momentum and gradually stretched Paraguay’s defence.

Paraguay attempted to respond and managed to get on the scoresheet, but the South American side found it difficult to match the intensity shown by the hosts. The USA continued to create chances and added further goals to put the result beyond doubt.

With the victory, the United States moved to the top section of Group D and gained an important boost in confidence ahead of their upcoming fixtures in the tournament.

Strong opening result for hosts

A winning start is particularly important in a World Cup campaign, and the USA achieved exactly that with a comprehensive performance. The result gives the hosts valuable momentum as they prepare for the next stage of group play.

For Paraguay, the defeat means they will need a strong response in their remaining group matches to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds alive.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the tournament featuring an expanded format and more participating teams than previous editions.

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Jaishankar raises deaths of three Indian sailors with Marco Rubio, lodges strong protest

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed India’s strong protest to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over an attack that killed three Indian sailors, stressing that lethal action against commercial shipping is unjustified.

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External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday spoke with Marco Rubio and conveyed India’s strong protest over recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf that resulted in the deaths of three Indian sailors.

According to reports, Jaishankar told Rubio that the use of lethal force against commercial shipping was not justified and underlined India’s serious concerns regarding the safety of civilian seafarers operating in the region. The conversation came days after three Indian mariners were killed in an attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello near the Oman coast.

The incident has triggered diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Washington. India had earlier summoned a senior US diplomat to register its concerns and seek accountability following the attack. The Ministry of External Affairs has emphasized that actions endangering civilian shipping undermine maritime safety and stability in a strategically important region.

India reiterates concern over maritime safety

India has stressed the importance of protecting civilian seafarers and ensuring the security of international maritime commerce. Officials have expressed concern over multiple incidents involving Indian crew members in West Asian waters in recent days.

The deaths of the three sailors have also sparked calls within India for stronger diplomatic efforts to safeguard Indian nationals working aboard commercial vessels in conflict-affected maritime zones.

Background of the incident

The attack involved the tanker Settebello, which was operating near Oman when it was struck during ongoing tensions linked to the conflict involving Iran and maritime operations in the Gulf region. Initial reports indicated that Indian crew members were among those affected, and later confirmations established that three Indian sailors had died in the incident.

India has maintained that civilian shipping should not become a target and has continued diplomatic outreach to ensure the safety and welfare of Indian seafarers working across global shipping routes.

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