The Indian Express
PTI
October 15, 2015
“We have ongoing consultations mechanism with China on water resources sector… China has repeatedly assured us that they have no intention of diverting water of the river and the Chinese projects that are coming up including this one are run-of-the-mill projects,” the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said.
Amid reports that Chinese Zam Hydropower Station on the Brahmaputra river may disrupt water supplies in the country, India today said it will monitor the situation and will convey its concerns to Beijing, if required. “We have ongoing consultations mechanism with China on water resources sector… China has repeatedly assured us that they have no intention of diverting water of the river and the Chinese projects that are coming up including this one are run-of-the-mill projects. “Therefore, we will continue to monitor the situation and if we feel that it need our concerns to be conveyed to the Chinese side we will certainly do it,” the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said. Two days ago, China operationalised its USD 1.5 billion Zam Hydropower Station, the largest in Tibet, built on the Brahmaputra, which has raised concerns that there may be disruption in the water supplies to India. Operationalising the dam, China said it will take into consideration India’s concerns and will remain in contact with New Delhi on this. To a separate query on reports that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may hand over dossiers carrying evidence of India fomenting instability in Balochistan to the US President during his visit to Washington, the spokesperson said, “They are free to raise it with whoever they want. Nothing can stop them but facts speak for themselves.” He also took a dig at Pakistan giving these dossiers to the UN, saying the global body receives around 800 representations every day but how many of them are taken not of. “It will be seen whether the UN Secretary General will appreciate the fiction.” Asked about the recent flip-flop of former Pakistan Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar’s on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s presence there, the Spokesperson said, “It is irrelevant whether it was a failure of the Pakistani state or complicity of the Pakistani. “Fact of the matter is that world’s most wanted terrorist was found living a few hundred metres from Pakistan’s military academy. This fact speaks enough about the state of Pakistan.”
