The comments were made at a fund-raising event in Washington organized by the Obama administration to seek support for the Diamer-Bhasha project.
The gesture by the US has distressed India as the new project is to be launched in Gilgit-Baltistan, which India perceives to be illegally occupied by Islamabad.
The statement also comes amid recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Cotrol (LoC), further upsetting Modi's government, according to sources. According to official sources, Modi and his government are developing a diplomatic and tactful approach to address the issue with the US.
Delhi is adamant that any infrastructure in that region will be considered illegal, sources added. Further, sources said, Delhi had expressed an objection to the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam in Gilgit-Baltistan and the issue has been raised repeatedly with both China and Pakistan.
The World Bank had earlier rejected Pakistani government's proposal for financing the project following India's reservations against it.
"Investment in the Diamer Bhasha dam is the smartest choice for Pakistan," Feldman was quoted in a media report days after the event in Washington.
COMMENTS (41)
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@Rizwan: :" this does not invalidate plebiscite calls."
Its high time that pakistanis come out of this selective amnesia and start facing reality, that certain piece of Kashmir was gifted to China, hence the whole UN Resolution is non valid and furthermore one can simply not go to stage 3, without fulfilling stage 2 of the resolution ! Its really high time that Pakistan realize that none of their initiatives are being entertained by Global community, hence should really drop this Kashmir issue and seriously start dealing with its plentiful of internal issues, if it is going to remain in its present form, over next decade.
@Rishabh Jain: this does not invalidate plebiscite calls. Pakistan still regards Kashmir as disputed territory even if it builds infrastructure like a road or school. You argument suggests anything other than stagnation is unsuitable for plebiscite. This isn't the case.
Churlish of India to oppose a development project - irrespective of the disputed status of the geography.
Just because two nations can't solve a dispute doesn't mean people need to stop living! They need growth, development and infrastructure (like power & roads).
So, while India can continue to demand Pakistan vacate Pak Occupied Kashmir, it has no case for stopping development in the region. All it should insist on is that, should Pakistan vacate POK (as called upon by UN resolutions), restoring India's control over the territory, then Pakistan can't have rights on the dam.
Indians should not be worried. When did we ever complete any project we undertook.
@Hedgefunder: The land of the pure willbe parched dry or awash with floods +++++++++++++++++++++++ Pakistan has a strategy Blame it on India.
Daimer Bhasha isanother IP pipeline +++++++++++++++++++++ Do u know how many times has it been inaugurated? Even the Neelum Jhelum project started decades ago is limping towards completion. Indian objections are completely legal and valid.
Think up of some spurious project (it should sound good to international donors) Then say India is against it. Then wait until the dumb, quixotic and mostly illiterate Pakistani savages start to thump and bare their chests. And with the mad mob raging, collect your share and send it to relatives/bank accounts out of Pakistan. Jiyo Pakistan Jiyo :)
This is same thing as Israel construct a New School on recently stolen Philistine Land.
@Ali:
India built the dams in Kashmir region by its own money. its disputed territory. If Foreigner invest in disputed area as help to Pakistan, that means they accepted it as pakistan's territory. and that is objectionable. India is not against Pak development. But India always follows rules unlike Pakistan.
Honestly guys, since India claims all of Kashmir, it had to "protest" the building the dam in "her" territory without its concurrence. let's move on.
It is great to see that Pakistan and our citizens are all positive for this doable and smart choice. It is a good sign that coming from the US we are still positive and not hateful about the US! Another major positive is we are going for this smart choice instead of disputed Kala Gagh Dam. Let us go with the smart and doable and put the disputes on the back burner.
A dam that costs north of $15 billion? Of course, India has no objections to it. Good luck with raising the money.
Where is the Money, Honey??? Try asking that sweeter than honey friend ! They will laugh you out of the room, as they will want this repaid with interest. This is another pipe dream project, just look at the status of Iran pipeline project, which was very straight forward project, yet look at the mess with it ! Just what makes the dreamers think that this will be any different ? The Land of Pure is going to suffer from serious water crises over next couple of decades and its leadership has simply not addressed the issue, yet have resources to keep building Bombs, as if they are going to quench the thirst and hunger !
Congrats Pakistan, i mean finally it was longggg over due....now lets see if u can rise above petty issues and walk towards becoming stable....best lucks
I agree with Kulwant Singh above. I am a US citizen and born and brought up in India so an Indian-American. Pakistan should go ahead with the dam project, get the money from wherever they can get it as long as it provides water, power, and mitigation of flood for the Pakistani people. Development is good for all people in the region. As Mr. Mohammed Yusuf has correctly pointed out, Indian-Americans like me, are making an enormous mark in American politics, polity, governance, and executive branches of every level of American life. Pakistan has a long way to catch up with India because they have wasted the last 67 years in getting their house in order and they haven't event reached that. So all the good wishes to Pakistan in everything not just this Diamer-Bhasha dam project.
looks like, as far as India is concerned, the whole Pakistan is illegally occupied. This is a mindset, which is causing trouble for Pakistan & India. there is not enough barakat even within India, due to bad intentions, discrimination. Pakistan,too, does not have barakat, due to its corrupt rulers, continually eating away over the last many years, & no shame.
An indian voice here - Go ahead with the dam! construction....
@Rishabh Jain: This dam, if it materializes, is damn good for both India and Pakistan. In the end, there will be an agreement between Indian and Pakistan to accept areas that each control as theirs and make it the international boundary between the two countries. Pakistan knows that it cannot take even an inch of Kashmir from India and India is not interested in gaining an inch of territory from Pakistan. Pakistan will be able to justify that it has gained by accepting the territorial claims of India. India by reacting strongly both to Pakistan's embassy holding talks with Kashmiri separatists and to cross border firing from Pakistan has already made Pakistan's army realize that it can no longer infiltrate terrorists form Pakistan or keep supporting separatist groups in Kashmir. The economic gains to Pakistan will enable its government and its army to justify accepting the border between the two countries based on ground realities. In any case, no country in the world, be it India, Pakistan, USA, UK, Europe and even China will support the option of an Independent Kashmir. The reason being that an independent Kashmir will become an haven for terrorists from all over the world and will become another Waziristan or FATA. LeT and JuD have association with TTP and Al Quaida. Al Quaida has promised allegiance to IS and have also announced its South Asia Branch. China is more worried than India on the spread of islamic terrorism in its region. In fact, compared to India, China is the main target for Al Quaida and IS. China has been worried for quite some time now and have stationed about 150,000 of their army within Pakistan, in GB region. Their army has been in this region for over 8 years now. Terror strikes like Kunming attacks, car bombings and killing of the Imam of China's largest Mosque, etc., has only made it more wary of the spread of islamic terrorism to its region. I believe that China has already conveyed its message to Pakistan. Usually, Pakistan's Army Chief would have flown to China after the strong retaliation from India on LoC. He did not do so this time because he knows that this would force China to say openly what they have been saying privately to Pakistan.
Good wishes for Pakistan they must start the construction of this dam as they need power and water and also get rid of floods and if you start construction it will be completed one day, objection or no objection carry on the developmental works which both countries need.
@Rizwan: That's not correct. Indian PM didn't want... neither care for U.S. like Market Economy or Free Democracy. The World is really disappointed with Indian Exclusionary Leadership. The West was very hopeful of Modi's vision but sadly he won only on Pak Fear slogans.
India's protest against this funding is a normal diplomatic move. Everybody does that. China opposes any construction in India's Arunachal Pradesh. Pakistan does the same with construction within Indian side of Kashmir. These protests are symbolic. What's new?
Does anyone know the cost for the project $16 billion. Will Pakistan be able to raise that amount? Every now and then Pakistan is begging IMF for 500 million and $16 bn ...? No fool will part with his or her money wen it comes to Pakistan.
This dam will never see the light of the day. Indians pull the purse strings in the US and World Bank. India has a strong lobby and now controls most of the American and European companies. India's lobby is more or less on par with the Jewish lobby. In 2016, an Indian-American is likely to be the president of the US. Heard about Bobby JIndal? Check this article from Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/25/bobby-jindal-2016n4856222.html Then there are hundreds of companies run by Indian in the US and some of the top Indian CEOs are Romesh Wadhwani(CEO, Symphony Technology Group), Francis D Souza (CEO, Cognizance), Shantanu Narayen (CEO, Adobe Systems), Renu Khator (President, University of Houston), Nitin Nohria (Dean, Harvard School), Subra Suresh (President, Carnegie Mellon University), Neera Tandon(President, Centre for American Progress), Dinesh Paliwal (CEO, Harman International), Sonal Shah (Director of Office, Social Innovation and Civil Participation), S Somasegar of Microsoft Corporation, Satya Nadella CEO of Microsoft, Rajiv Suri, CEO of Nokia, Indra Nyomi, CEO of Pepsi. So dream on Pakistan, no money will come for this project. It will only be a pipedream. Poor Pakistanis doesn't know that India is fighting a covert war with Pakistan and will destroy Pakistan economically, just as the US and NATO destroyed the USSR economically first and then saw its disintegration. A similar fate awaits Pakistan.
If US refuses to fund, Chinese will grab this. So it is better to have US presence there than chinese. Anyway in future it is going to be Indian Asset.
That's a huge policy signal in favour of Pakistan by the US.
Well, I am an Indian and I am not 'unsettled'.
If you think that this is a good project, then you should go ahead with it. Although, keep in mind, if you start construction in your side of Kashmir, the issue of plebiscite will no longer be valid as it would show that Pakistan has claimed its side of Kashmir and we have ours. It would also mean that LOC would be the De Jure International border. If that ends the tensions, so be it. It is high time we end the suffering of the people of the region and attend to our respective countries' needs. No one is ceding any territory, no matter what we show in our respective maps. We have spent far too much money and life on this quagmire, which should have been utilized elsewhere.
This is my individual perspective.
I just hope this does not end up like the new Islamabad Airport or Kalabagh, since the taxpayer's money ends up in the pockets of a few and people continue to suffer. Regardless, this might be the right time to sustain water that the flood has brought and attend to your water needs, which seems to be the next point of conflict, it should be avoided.
Pakistan could have made objections against several dams made in indian occupied Kashmir. but our short sighted leadership has never taken any decision in time. now india is after Diamer basha dam which is considered to be the greatest source of energy generation in pakistan. pakistan should also convince china and other friends of pakistan to raise fund for this dam. US may quit fund raising at any time
Pakistan is always happy and agree to help his western friends & brother countries in their wars or any other terror situation. But whenever Pakistan has any issue or war, poverty, power generation or they are giving reasons that world super (in western opinion) power India is unhappy or adamant.
Pakistan should be brave and tell the brothers and friends countries that your problems are your problems and my problems are my problems. Pakistani leaders and high officials have destabilized the country for the sake and safety of other countries, Pakistan should be brave and express to world STOP KIDDING WITH THE MASSES OF PAKISTA. BUT NO ONE HAS LIPS TO GIVE THE SUCH STATEMENTS.
@ani.....thanks for your kind wishes!!!!
US is in collusion with India these days. Don't be surprised if the US throws spanners into the dam project because of lobbying from India.
Pakistan will do whatever is best in the interest of its nation in the territory that it occupies. I doubt if India will be able to have much impact. Infact, iam not sure if India's reservations are intended to have an impact, coz it knows there's not much that it can do here. Iam surprised why the world bank was giving so much of consideration to Indian view, as reported. I doubt that to be true.
i'm Indian and I'm for the dam construction best of luck
@Ani: And i just read times of India news about this and people comments. Too much hate. i didnt see a single positive response.
This is why India can never ever be our friends. Its an eye opening for people who seeks India as our potential business partner including Nawaz Sharif.
@Ali: its habitual for India to oppose anything that's good for Pak. From Nobel prize to 2010 flood victims aid. I won't forget million other unnecessary & uncalled for objections India had in past.
It upsets India?? I guess it will now be completed in record time...
@Khan: I am an Indian. I am not at all against any development project of Pakistan. Stable and peaceful Pakistan will benefit whole of South Asia. Unfortunately some elements with their vested interests don't want normalization of relations....Good luck with the dam and Naya Pakistan project! :)
India must be called out for its hypocrisy. When India wants to preserve the LOC as the de facto border and regularly constructs dams in Indian-administered Kashmir, what grounds does it have for opposing any construction project in Gilgit-Baltistan?
Now lets see how much tolerence Idian troll truly have for this news