In a bid to resolve the Kishanganga Dam dispute between India and Pakistan, a team from Pakistan is expected to visit India this week to participate in a draw of lots or a toss for the appointment of the three neutral umpires to the International Court of Arbitration, prescribed in Annexure G under the Indus Water Treaty, 1960. Both India and Pakistan had failed to reach a consensus on the issue, setting the tone for involvement of international agencies in the selection of the chairman, technical umpire and legal umpire for the court.
A team from Pakistan is expected to reach New Delhi this week to participate in the draw of lots, government sources said. There will be a draw of lots between the secretary general of the United States and the President of the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development and whosoever is chosen will be responsible for appointing a chairman to head the court, the sources said.
The second draw will take place for the selection of one agency, between The President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, United States and the Rector of the Imperial College of Science and Technology, UK, for appointing the engineer member to the court. The third toss up will be between The Chief Justice of the United States and The Lord Chief Justice of England who will appoint a legal member. On July 13, delegations from India and Pakistan had exchanged the names of proposed members for the court to resolve the differences over the 330 MW Kishanganga hydel project in Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad has opposed Kishanganga since it will reduce the generation capacity of its Neelum-Jhelum project.