Neutral consultant’s advice on Baglihar

THE WORLD BANK — appointed expert on dams safety, Prof. Raymond Lafitte of Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (Switzerland), has held that the underconstruction Baglihar Dam project on River Chenab in Doda District of Indian occupied Kashmir, violated the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty signed by Pakistan, India and the World Bank in 1960 to settle the dispute over the division of water from the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Bias Rivers. The expert has suggested reducing the 450. MW hydroelectricity dam height by 1.5 meters, and raising the power intake facility for installation of turbines by three meters.
Pakistan had all along opposed the construction of the controversial project because it was Islamabad’s considered view that its operation would adversely affect its lower riparian rights as guaranteed by the World Ban-sponsored Treaty. Several rounds of bilateral talks amongst experts of thee two countries did not yield any result and on Pakistan’s insistence the World Bank moved to intervene and appointed a neutral expert of international repute to give his verdict. While Prof. Lafitte has not accepted Pakistan’s demand for scrapping the project, his recommendations for changes in the design, according to experts in New Delhi, would make the project on which Indian authorities have so far spent as much as Rs.3.5 billion, economically unviable. The puppet Government of Held Jammu and Kashmir has already approached New Delhi to release Rupees one trillion to complete the project. Those involved in the dam construction feel that even small changes in the design at this point in time would not be implement able and would force he sponsors to abandon the project.
Ever since controversy began between the two countries, India speeded up the construction work on the project. Some 200 Israeli engineers were deployed to complete the dam project by December 2005. The new target is now the year 2007 but with this development requiring changes in the design there is no hope the project would be completed in the foreseeable future.
The Baglihar Dam issue underscores the need to involve neutral experts or third party to mediate in matters where parties to the dispute could not find a solution through dialogue. Pakistan and India have lived in an atmosphere of mistrust and hostility over the future of the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir for over half a century. The composite dialogue continues at a painfully slow pace. Their resources, which could have otherwise been spent on poverty alleviation and on raising the quality of life of over one billion souls, have been wasted in the arms race. New Delhi is as yet reluctant to let an outside party to mediate on the issue which is at the heart of South Asian conflict. Time has come where the parties to the dispute should invite outside help to facilitate the resolution of the core issue.
 

Continuing with Chavez

IT’S yet another landslide for the inimitable Hugo Chavez. The Venezuelan leader has lost no time in terming his re-election victory as another defeat for “the devil who tries to dominate the world.” Notwithstanding Chavez’s rhetoric, this poll outcome is a huge setback for the US and its shrinking influence in the Latin America, look at it any way.
The so-called ‘pink tide’ is rising across Latin America — once dismissed as America’s backyard — faster than the US could fathom or manage it. Chavez is the fourth leftist to win an election in Latin America in the past five weeks. Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, who calls himself an ally of Chavez, won a run-off last week after promising sweeping political reforms and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua also have won recent presidential elections.
Chavez has won a loyal following among Venezuela’s poor through multibillion-dollar social programmes that include subsidised food, free university education and cash benefits for single mothers.
Hate him or like him, Venezuela leader is here to stay, maybe for life — a la Fidel Castro, his hero and mentor. Even if you have no stomach for his kind of shrill and populist politics, it is not possible for the US and rest of the world to ignore him. Especially now that he has got a renewed mandate from Venezuelan voters. What makes the former army paratrooper tick at home are his pro-poor policies and his willingness to use the state resources and its huge oil revenues to feed and pamper his people. This is what makes Venezuelan voters return him to power, again and again, with greater mandate. It’s this standing at home that emboldens the Venezuelan leader to take on the might of the US and get away with it.
By consciously trying to build himself in the mould of Castro, that enfant terrible of the Left, Chavez has cleverly cashed in on growing indignation with the US and its policies worldwide. This is what makes Chavez so interesting and fascinating to the rest of the world. He continues to wow the people and establish an instant rapport with his audience wherever he goes — from India to Iran — even when he is faced with an apparent barrier of language. He loves the crowd and crowd seems to love him.
However, the continuing adulation from the crowd will not last forever. Chavez will have to deliver on the promises he made to his people over the past few years. Despite the country’s growing oil revenues, it faces a huge challenge in fighting poverty. Comrade Chavez has a war on his hands, a war on poverty, not on Washington.

—Khaleej Times