THE HAGUE: International Court of Arbitration is slated to resume its hearing in Kishanganga 330MW hydel power project in Indian Held Kashmir later this week in The Hague. A Bench from the court visited site of project in Held Kashmir in June this year. The hearing, set to start from August 25, will be second after arbitration Bench met for first time in January 2011. Pakistan has petitioned seeking an interim stay order on construction activities at the site.
The seven-member Bench of the court, headed by Justice Stephen M Schwebel, had visited the project site in India Held Kashmir and downstream Pakistan side to get first-hand knowledge about the dispute between two countries.
Apart from firming up procedure for arbitration, the court had directed Pakistan to submit its memorial (affidavit) making its case against the project. With Pakistan submitting its objections, India was learnt to have also submitted its counter-memorial (affidavit) responding to Pakistan’s objections, Indian Express newspaper reported. The hearing this week will take up the issues raised by both the sides.
The case holds significance in the wake of the fact that this is the first time that Islamabad and New Delhi have gone to the International Court of Arbitration to resolve dispute pertaining to 1960 Indus Water Treaty that has withstood hostilities between the countries over the past six decades.
Copyright PPI (Pakistan Press International), 2011
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