Pak may approach WB over issue of water sharing with India

Pakistan on Thursday said it was considering various options, including appointment of a neutral expert or arbitrator by the World Bank, to resolve differences with India on sharing of river waters and the Kishanganga hydropower project in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Pakistan's Indus Waters Commissioner wrote a letter to his Indian counterpart in March (on these issues) but we have not received a satisfactory answer," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said at a weekly news briefing.

Pakistan is now considering various options, including approaching the World Bank, the guarantor of the Indus Waters Treaty, to appoint an arbitrator or neutral expert to resolve differences with India on sharing of river waters and the Kishanganga project, he said in response to a question.

To another query on the stance of new US administration on the Kashmir issue, Basit said the "fair resolution of the longstanding Jammu and Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India is vital for viable peace and stability in the region."

Pakistan had been telling its international interlocutors about the importance of addressing the "underlying causes" of the Kashmir issue, including political, economic and social issues, he said.

Kashmir is an issue that "needs to be settled, the sooner the better," he added.