India, Pakistan open talks on Kashmir dam dispute

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan on Thursday launched two days of talks in a bid to settle a more than two-decade-old dispute over the construction of a dam in Indian-held Kashmir, a foreign ministry official said.   

The dispute dates back to 1984, when India started building the Tulbul dam on Wullar Lake, which is fed by waters of the Jhelum river.

Pakistan objected to the dam's design, saying it violated the provisions of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty that governs the sharing of common river waters, as Islamabad would be deprived of its rightful share from the Jhelum.   

Under the treaty, India and Pakistan each have exclusive rights over three of the six common rivers. Islamabad has rights to the Jhelum.

The discussions in New Delhi are part of peace talks launched by the nuclear-armed neighbours in January 2004.    

The two sides last met on the Tulbul dam project -- aimed at improving navigation between Srinagar and Baramulla districts -- in June 2006 in Islamabad, when they reaffirmed their commitment to the treaty.