ISLAMABAD, 9 May 2005 — Pakistani and Indian officials yesterday began talks on a dam India is planning to build in its part of Kashmir that Islamabad says will violate Indus Water Treaty on water-sharing between the two countries.

The head of Indian delegation D.K. Mehta said that he honored the treaty and if he couldn’t remove Pakistan’s objections and doubts on Kishanganga Hydro-Power Project, then he would even go the extent of altering the design of the under-construction project for the cause of peace in the region.

Since the mid-1970s, India has been planning to build the Kishanganga Dam to generate power. The project would require the diversion of water from the Jhelum River, which flows into the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir.

Pakistan says the proposed project would violate a 1960 World Bank-brokered Indus treaty that regulates the sharing of river water between the two countries.

Jamat Ali Shah, head of Pakistani delegation at the three-day talks, said diversion of water is not allowed in the treaty.

“This will affect some of our downstream projects,” Shah told reporters after the talks. He said Pakistan also objects to the proposed dam’s design, but did not elaborate.

Mehta however said, “We have designed the Kishanganga project keeping in view our share of the quantum of water and Pakistan was informed about it in 1994.

Pakistan had raised objections on it but the work on the project off and on kept going and Pakistan was briefed about the latest position of construction work in February meeting.”

Mehta said India will try to remove Pakistan’s concerns about the proposed dam. “If Pakistan has objection to a certain point, a resolution has to be found. If there is a discussion on design change, then we will have to take design change,” Mehta said.

Pakistan is also opposed to another dam that India is building on another river in its portion of Kashmir, fearing it will deprive it of water for farming.

Pakistan has demanded that India stop building the Baglihar Dam on the River Chenab. Islamabad has asked the World Bank to appoint an arbitrator to settle the dispute.

Under the Indus treaty, India was given control over the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers, while Pakistan was awarded the Jhelum, Indus and Chenab.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan but each claims the Himalayan territory in its entirety. The rivals have fought two wars over Kashmir since their independence from British rule in 1947.