Swamy questions the stand of World Bank on Indus Water Treaty

Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha Subramanian Swamy on Friday has questioned the World Bank's interference in the long standing Indus Water Dispute.

"World Bank is just a cooperative bank in which all countries pay money and subscribe and on this basis it runs. They can facilitate an agreement as it is considered as an international bank but they can't decide on any issue," he said.

"I think the Government of India needs to be supported for taking a tough stand," he added.

The World Bank on Friday asked India and Pakistan to "agree to mediation" in order to settle on a mechanism for how the Indus Waters Treaty should be used to resolve issues regarding two dams under construction along the Indus river system.

The World Bank's move came as it told the two countries that it was responding to their separate proceedings initiated under the Indus Waters Treaty 1960.

The World Bank held a draw of lots to determine who will appoint three umpires to sit on the Court of Arbitration that Pakistan has requested.

The draw of lots was held at the World Bank headquarters here.

"The World Bank Group has a strictly procedural role under the Indus Waters Treaty and the treaty does not allow it to choose whether one procedure should take precedence over the other. This is why we drew the lots and proposed potential candidates for the Neutral Expert today," senior vice president and World Bank group general counsel Anne-Marie Leroy said.

It also sets out a process for resolving so-called "questions", "differences" and "disputes" that may arise between the parties.

The current proceedings under the treaty concern the Kishenganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants.

The power plants are being built by India on Kishenganga and Chenab Rivers.

Neither of the two plants are being financed by the World Bank Group.