World Bank-appointed Swiss expert Raymond Lafitte is expected to deliver his verdict on India and Pakistan’s Baglihar dam disagreement in November this year.
Pakistani officials made the announcement following the latest meeting on the controversial dam, with Federal Water and Power Secretary Dr Ishfaq Mehmood thought to be satisfied with the four-day talks.
Lafitte will convene another meeting with representatives from both sides in Paris, France in October for further discussions about the Baglihar project, before moving to Washington DC in the US from November 6 to 8 to announce his final decision.
India has been constructing Baglihar dam on the Chenab river since June 1999. The dam is designed to generate 450MW in its first phase and a further 450MW in phase 2.
The dispute has been ongoing and culminated in April 2005 with Pakistan asking the World Bank, brokers of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, to appoint a neutral expert – they chose Laffite, who was installed the next month.
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