India opposes Pakistan's project in Gilgit-Baltistan

NEW DELHI: In what could raise eyebrows at the ongoing meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in South Korea, India on Thursday opposed one of Pakistan's climate projects in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of that country.The project is meant to reduce the risk of floods caused by bursting glacial lakes.
India, however, is not opposed to Pakistan's other climate projects and argued that its opposition to the particular project was because it was “flawed“ and may lead to disastrous consequences in the region.
Dinesh Sharma, special secretary in the finance ministry noted during his submission that the region had seen 900-odd lake bursts in the past two decades and it was ecologically too fragile to sustain the project.
Sharma noted that the project's success was predicated on there being no glacial outbursts during its five-year tenure, which was unlikely considering the frequency of such outbursts in the region. The project, if cleared, will be funded by the GCF, a multilateral fund under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The GCF board will on Friday take its final call on a number of projects, including the one opposed by India. Under the rule, the board will either clear all the projects or reject all if it is convinced of the objection raised. Since India has not opposed any other project, it is to be seen at the end of the discussion whether the board would clear the one flagged by India.
India is one of the three board members representing the Asia-Pacific region. China and Saudi Arabia are the other two.