The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 176
160 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN were likely to be, to both sides, and drew particular attention to its impact on the economy of West Pakistan. He suggested that the World Bank should offer its good offices to the parties for the purpose of resolving this dispute on the basis of certain principles which should be accepted by both sides, namely that established uses should be respected, that if extra water was available from all these rivers, there should be agreement as to how that should be shared for the purpose of the development of the whole of the Indus Basin, the part that was in Pakistan as well as the part that was in India, and how the costs of such development should be apportioned. The World Bank's good offices were accepted by both sides and a prolonged series of investigations and discussions took place under the auspices of the Bank. At long last agreement was reached which was incorporated into a treaty and is now being worked out on the spot. One part of the agreement was that India should enjoy the waters of the eastern rivers and Pakistan should replace that water by means of replacement works and channels from the western rivers, India paying the cost of the replacement. But when the costs of replacement were assessed, India said the amount was beyond its capacity to pay. Through the good offices of the bank it was arranged that it should pay as much as it was able to, and that the rest would be made up by friendly powers, like the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and some of the Colombo power. In respect of the works for future uses, as distinguished from established uses, Pakistan was to bear the cost of its own works and India was to bear the cost of the works on its own side. I understand that some difficulty has since arisen. The basis on which the costs of replacement were calculated has already ceased to operate, because the costs of these works have gone up so much that the amounts then assessed are no longer sufficient to cover them. How that is to be worked out I do not know but I believe some sort of negotiations are going on with the Bank on that aspect. R R R R R INTERVIEW - JULY 28, 1962 Question : Sir Zafrulla, one thing that interests me and interests many people is the reasons why someone like yourself, who has served united