Hannah Polites On The Beach Makes Us Want To Get Sand In All The Wrong Places

Don't you just hate going to the beach? The sand gets in all the wrong places doesn't it? But, if you had a hottie like Hannah Polites to accompany you, going to the beach would become much more fun. Since, she's never coming to the beach with any of us, here's a gallery of some of her best pictures at the beach. If these aren't enough and you want more, check out her Instagram account. Never have any pictures made us want to be sand granules before.

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Dera chief filed 30 pleas in HC against trial court orders

Every three months since charges were framed against rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim in September 2008, he filed a review petition against the trial court orders in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court, in one of its orders on July 5, even took strong note of this and recorded that it was an attempt to “prolong the trial” and directed the Special CBI Judge to conclude the trial at the earliest.
The Dera head moved more than 30 applications under various provisions of criminal law, seeking direction or revision of the trial court orders before the high court after September 2008, when the CBI court took over the case. Most of them were, however, dismissed, with the last one being on August 3. They mostly pertained to the examination of the victim’s handwriting or the witnesses in the case. Six petitions were filed this year alone, till August, as the trial in the court reached the final stage.
“The apparent motive of the petitioner, as manifested, is to prolong the trial which is pending for the last nine years, and after conclusion of prosecution evidence in the year 2013, for defence evidence for the last four years,” said Justice Surinder Gupta in his judgment on a plea challenging a CBI court order on July 5. “The trial court is directed to conclude the trial which is at the final stage, at earliest. Copy of this order be conveyed to the trial court,” the judge added.

On Monday, the trail court will pronounce the quantum of sentence in the case and, according to the legal experts, the self-styled godman, who now stands convicted under Section 376 (rape) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation), is likely to face a punishment of at least seven years or even more depending on the circumstances of the crime.
Maximum punishment in the case can be life imprisonment. The only door for any relief to him is the same High Court — which set the law in motion in 2002 on the case on basis of an anonymous complaint, and where his conduct of prolonging the trial is a matter of record.

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Ram Rahim's village in Rajasthan dejected after finding 'godman' is demon in disguise

If one has to decipher the emotion a place collectively depicts, for Gurusar Modia, it could be one of dejection. Dejection writ large post the realization that the man they revered as a saint, no less than a god, has been termed a demon.
This sleepy village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district wears a sullen look. There are posters, hoardings, big life sized billboards of Gurmeet Singh, later rechristened as Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, the self proclaimed godman, staring down soon after one enters the village.
He was born on August 15 in 1967, got married at an early age of 15 - 16 and by the time he was 23, he already had three children, including two daughters. And in 1990, an ill and ageing Satanam Shah, the second chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, decided to bequeath the Dera gaddi to him.
India Today visited the village to find out the reason behind the cult following that this man continued to have enjoyed despite the grave accusations against him. The blind faith that made people look the other way despite the court pronouncing him guilty. The kind that made people so violent that they were willing to kill or die on the day the verdict holding him guilty of rape was announced by the court in Panchkula.
On the face of Roopsingh Sidhu, the man who taught him from class 5th till 10th, sense of disbelief is unmissable. Like most houses in this village, there are pictures of Gurmeet Singh across walls in Roopsingh's home.
"He is a very kind person and when it came to studies, was first in studies as well. Otherwise, had lot of interest in cultural programmes, sports and academics. There was never a complaint against him in school," Roopsingh said.


Rajaram, a man with grey beard and a heavy voice, tells how he spent time with Gurmeet Singh in school as they happened to be classmates during 9th and 10th. Though of the same age, Rajaram has no hesitation in calling Gurmeet Singh as 'pitaji'. It seems referring to the rape convict by any other name is blasphemous for him.
An attempt to tell him that there have been serious accusations of rape, murder, castration of sadhus against him are met with palpable cynicism. Teary eyed, he starts recounting how the man has done a lot of good things for the village. He says how he used to smoke but left it due to 'pitaji's' influence.
"He was very nice during childhood, was of religious belief, was cultured, good in studies and was one who used to take Ram's name. These allegations have been completely baseless, are allegations without any foundation," Rajaram, Gurmeet's childhood friend, said.
The village has some relatives of Gurmeet Singh who still stay there. And for them, Gurmeet Singh's behaviour did not depict any such tendencies during the more than two decades period that he stayed there. Although his paternal uncle does tell India Today that he is unaware if he changed after leaving from there.
"Not at all. Had studied with us till 10th. Has grown up here. Has stayed a lot here in this house because my three children are older than him. Used to stay here. There was nothing like that in him. Were innocent children and had interest in studies. After he left from here, I cannot say," said Gurbaux Singh, Gurmeet's paternal uncle.
There are people in plenty in this Sri Ganganagar village who have revered him for close to 30 years since he got the Dera gaddi, and despite the court's verdict pronouncing Gurmeet Singh as guilty of rape, there is no dearth of those in Gurusar Modia for whom the accusations against him are still anything but true.

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HC issues notice to Arnab Goswami, Republic TV on Tharoor’s plea

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought a response from journalist Arnab Goswami and his channel Republic TV on Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s plea to refrain from “misreporting” his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death and asked them to respect his “right to silence”.

Justice Manmohan issued notice to Mr. Goswami and Republic TV after Mr. Tharoor alleged that they continued to engage in “defaming and maligning” him despite an assurance given in the court on May 29 by their counsel.

Taking note of this, the Bench said, “You [Goswami and the channel] have to respect Tharoor’s right to silence.”

Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, appearing for Mr. Tharoor, submitted that the court must direct Mr. Goswami and the channel to not mention the expression “murder of Sunanda Pushkar”, as it is yet to be established by a competent court that her death was “murder”, to ensure the trial was not prejudiced.

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Mr. Goswami and the channel, said they have only placed the actual evidence and the police report while broadcasting the news. “We have not called him a murderer in any of the news broadcasts on the channel,” he said.

The judge, however, said orally that he had asked counsel who had promised that names would not be taken. “They will have to abide by that,” he said.

Mr. Sethi replied, “My client stands by what was assured by me.”

The court has now fixed the matter for further hearing on August 16.

The court was hearing an application moved by Mr. Tharoor in his pending Rs 2 crore defamation suit against Mr. Goswami and the channel for allegedly making defamatory remarks against him while airing news relating to the mysterious death of his wife.

Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a five-star hotel in south Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014. The matter is still under investigation.

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Enhance Parliament’s dignity, Modi tells MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday termed enhancing the dignity of Parliament the need of the hour, and exhorted NDA MPs to contribute to the effective functioning of the legislature.

He was speaking at a meeting of NDA MPs at the G.M.C. Balayogi auditorium on the eve of the vice-presidential polls, in which M. Venkaiah Naidu will be the NDA’s candidate. He also released two volumes of speeches and writings of Mr. Naidu entitled Tireless Voice-Relentless Journey.

‘Crucial period’


Mr. Modi emphasised that the current government had a full majority after 30 years and could contribute in a substantial measure to nation building.

“I consider the period of 2017-22 as being as important as the period between 1942-47, that got us our freedom. In this, the new President and the soon to be elected Vice-President will be from the NDA, and therefore can do much for the country,” he said. “It is the first time since Independence that this is happening,” he said.

He added that the NDA had its own line that could in concert do much to raise the dignity of Parliament. “The supremacy of Parliament is already enshrined in the Constitution, we need to enhance its dignity,” he said. “By our good behaviour and concern for raising issues related to people we can overcome the sense of disappointment people feel with politics and politicians,” he said.

He said the Upper House needed to reflect on how it could guide the aspirations of 125 crore Indians and be inspired by the spirit of the discussions in the Constituent Assembly about the role of the Rajya Sabha.

He said the country was fortunate to have the benefit of leadership of Mr. Venkaiah Naidu in the House. “By marking a vertical line against the name of Shri Naidu in the ballot paper, we resolve to stand by him like a rock for the next five years,” he added.

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India still talking to China

Maintaining its silence on claims by the Chinese government that India has reduced troop levels on the Doklam plateau where they have been in a standoff with the PLA, the government on Friday said it would not comment on “operational details,” but continued to affirm that “war is not an option” despite rising tensions.

“As far as questions on deployments are concerned, these are operational matters on our side or the other side and would not like to specifically go into them,” said MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay, when asked about comments made by a senior Chinese diplomat in Delhi, who said India had reduced the number of troops sent in to stop a PLA road construction team on June 16, from about 400 at peak levels, to 48 as of Thursday.

“We would continue to engage the Chinese side through diplomatic channels on the basis of the Astana consensus between our leaders,” he added, referring to the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in early June, where they had agreed not to let “differences become a dispute.”

Asked about what diplomatic channels are still available, given a rising number of threatening statements from China, Mr. Baglay said, “If you understand the signs, you should let a secret remain a secret,” (Ishaaron ko agar samjho toh, Raaz ko raaz ko rahne do), a reference to a 1973 Hindi film song.
The remarks by the Ministry followed External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement in Parliament on Thursday in reply to questions from the Opposition over the government’s handling of foreign policy in general and the Doklam standoff with China in particular.

On Friday, facing several questions on the issue from journalists, the MEA added that its refusal to comment on charges made by the Chinese government over the past few days of a “transgression by Indian troops”, didn’t signify that it was unprepared for an escalation in tensions.

“The govt. of course remains prepared. It’s government’s responsibility to ensure the security of its citizens and territory and we remain prepared but EAM [Sushma Swaraj] also said [on Thursday] that war is not an answer and as far as the construction of road is concerned, the development of any part of India is a legitimate interest of the govt. and its responsibility.”
In an interaction with a few journalists, including from The Hindu on Thursday, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Liu Jinsong had warned that India would face “serious consequences” if it doesn’t withdraw all its troops from the area under dispute between China and Bhutan, and even discounted India’s position that its troops were there at the request of Bhutan’s government. The diplomat, whose comments were followed by an equally stern message from the Chinese Ministry of Defence who spoke of “limits to restraint”, also claimed that China had notified India about its proposal to undertake road construction on Doklam twice before the standoff began on June 16.

“Royal Govt. of Bhutan and Govt. of India have been in continuous contact through the unfolding of these developments. In coordination with the Govt. of Bhutan, Indian personnel who were present at the general area of Doka La approached the Chinese construction party and urged them to desist from changing the status quo,” Mr. Baglay, who ended his tenure as official spokesperson on Friday, said in response to the Chinese DCM’s comments.

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Gym rules for beginners

Finally decided to hit the gym after months (or years) of procrastination? While you congratulate yourself on finally taking this big step, here are some things that you need to keep in mind when you start working out at a gym for the first time...
Exercising cannot be done while you wear just about anything, so invest a bit in your gym wardrobe. You don't have to stick to only black colours, rather purchase some gym clothes in funky neon colours. Make sure what you wear isn't too tight or loose.
Exercising means you are bound to sweat, which means you need to wipe certain equipment after use. Most gyms provide abundant towels so you don't have to worry about scrambling for one.
While sweating is inevitable, you don't have to dunk yourself in layers of cologne or perfume before you begin your workout. Apply just a little before your start because too much of it mixed with your sweat will make people around you gag.
Never leave equipment lying around — not only will keeping things back in their place make other gym members happy, it will also lower chances of anyone tripping and injuring themselves.
Don't expect results overnight. Your body needs to get used to a workout regimen and this can only happen when you are consistent and patient. Don't hesitate to ask for advice from trainers — they're there to guide you so that you don't injure yourself.

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7 secrets of yogic nutrition

Ever wondered what is so special about the way yogis eat? Here's revealing some of the top secrets of yogis that can help attain a balance between the mind, body and soul...
An start
There is a build-up of toxins and acids in our bodies overnight, hence a ritual of lemon water on an empty stomach is very dear to yoga. It is extremely alkaline, detoxifies and wakes ups all the organs much better than coffee does. Add pink Himalayan salt to it and you amplify its detoxifying power.
Sattvic eating
In ancient texts, there is no mention of carbs, proteins and fats. Food is divided into Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Sattvic diet is one that leads to clarity of mind and physical health. It is plant-based, light, extremely alkaline and eco-friendly - like fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, nuts and grains. Rajasic is more stimulating, heat producing, rich and acidic, which includes meat, eggs, pickles, tea/coffee. Tamasic diet leads to dullness and lethargy. It's acidic, putrid and reheated. It includes alcohol, sugary foods and beverages. Yogis only follow the Sattvic way of eating.
Plant-based
Everything in yoga is related to prana (life force). Food which has prana gives us physical and emotional strength. Cooked food is of less importance - heat destroys its fibre, nutrients and enzymes to quite an extent. So are canned, frozen, microwaved, or highly processed foods. Raw food, as intended by nature, gives us all vitamins and minerals - and in the most bio-available form. The method of sprouting is given top importance as it's one of the best ways to consume functional "live" enzymes. Enzymes play a vital role in digestion and fighting disease.
Fasting
Yoga believes that accumulation of toxins breeds disease. Wrong eating habits, exposure to chemicals, build-up of negative emotions lead to an imbalance of mind and body. Fasting is one of the most common practices that can counter-balance this. There are various ways of fasting: water fast, fruit fast, giving up one or two meals in a day. The main reasoning behind this is to give our digestive system a break.
A famous yogi once said: "The greatest enemy of health and long life is overeating." There is a term in yoga called Mitahara, which means moderate eating, leaving one quarter of the stomach reserved for the movement of air. This eating style is easy on digestion and in quantities that can keep the body and mind clear and light.
Good fats
Yogic nutrition is incomplete without ghee, coconut oil and soaked nuts/seeds. They make food appetizing, digestible and satisfying. They help in healing the mind too. The presence of fats in the body improves memory, neural conductivity and mental well-being.
Herbs & adaptogens
Teas or concoctions of intensely flavoured and power-packed herbs like turmeric, ginger, coriander, pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom are the go-to beverages for yogis. They are anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and detoxifying in nature. Yoga also encourages use of adaptogens like Ashwagandha and Triphala. They are known to lower stress, stimulate thyroid function and protect against oxidative stress.

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Survey: This is how Delhi moms are breastfeeding

We all know breastfeeding is ideal for the baby. Reiterating the fact, a recent study published by Lancet stated that breast milk can make the world healthier and smarter. It protects the baby against infections and babies who are exclusively breastfed for the first few months have lower risk of health issues.
World Breastfeeding Week 2017 starts today. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within an hour after birth until a baby is 6 months old. Medela India, a research-based company that provides breastfeeding solutions to mothers around the world, conducted a breastfeeding survey amongst new mothers across major metros and their cities to understand the most common issues that affects a mother's breastfeeding decision.
The idea of the survey was to find breastfeeding habits, recent trends, key insights of lactating mothers; both stay-at-home and working along with challenges faced by mothers in breastfeeding their baby.
Below are findings from New Delhi:
1. Only 28 per cent initiated breastfeeding in the first hour
2. 49 per cent of mothers fed their babies with colostrum after birth, wherein 41 per cent still fed them with formula feed
3. 80 per cent mothers plan to breastfeed their babies for first 6 months
4. 32 per cent fed their babies with formula feed due to doctor's recommendation
5. 28 per cent consult their own mothers for advices on breastfeeding and 22 per cent with paediatrician
6. Only 11 per cent consulted a lactation consultant for advice
7. 53 per cent mothers quit their jobs after becoming a mother
8. 38 per cent could return back to their jobs within 6-9 months
9. 45 per cent of mothers use a breast pump
10. 36 per cent of mothers got to know of breast pumps through family/friends while 35 per cent knew through online source
11. 25 per cent of mothers suffered from low milk supply and 27 per cent suffered from sore/cracked nipples
12. 41 per cent of mothers felt that their offices don't have any nursing facilities installed in their office for new mothers

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Indian helps Blackstone become world’s largest office landlord

MUMBAI: Tuhin Parikh waited for last decade's real estate party to go bust before investing big dollars to create the largest ownership of office buildings globally. Since then, the 44-year-old senior managing director at Blackstone — the world's biggest private equity firm and the most influential real estate investor — has aggregated a 100-million-sqft portfolio in India, which is almost 12 times the size of the Bandra-Kurla Complex or 16 times bigger than Nariman Point, both business hubs in the country's commercial capital, Mumbai.
Parikh struck acquisitions, joint ventures and made strategic investments to build the India portfolio that dwarfs goliaths like Boston Properties and Vornado Realty in the US. Parikh and Blackstone virtually scripted a gold rush into the country's rent-yielding office spaces, which saw blue-chip investors and sovereign wealth managers like Brookfield Asset Management and Qatar Investment Authority stream in.
Now, as Indian stock markets soar to record highs, Blackstone plans to list one of its joint ventures, Embassy Office Parks, which bankers expect to fetch $4-5 billion valuation.
While this may be a test case for listing real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the country, Blackstone India office space assets will be worth $20 billion when fully developed in the next five years. Details accessed by this newspaper show that Blackstone has 61 million sq ft of leased office space with the remaining in the pipeline to be completed by 2023. "Blackstone is investing in the future of India, and betting on its long-term economy even though IT services and back-office industries are facing headwinds. It speaks about Tuhin's persuasion skills to convince faraway investors to invest big in India real estate," HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh said.
In the leased space alone, Blackstone India has moved past the biggest office landlord in China—CR Land with about 55 million sq ft space and $20 billion of market value. Among the more well-known US office space owners, Boston Properties with 45 million sq ft in Boston, New York and San Francisco has a market value of $31 billion. Japan Real Estate Investment Corporation has about 29 million sq ft assets in Tokyo with $10 billion in market value.
Later this year, Embassy REIT will list 35 million sq ft operational and pre-leased offices, with Rs 1,600-crore annual rentals, to raise as much as $1 billion, or Rs 6,500 crore. This provides both Blackstone and Embassy with liquid shares in a listed trust, offering inflation-hedged returns to investors fleeing gold and residential markets.
Blackstone's office space build-up accelerated construction activity in an otherwise morbid sector in recent years—ongoing projects have Rs 16,000-crore capital expenditure, employing 27,000 construction workers. The investment thesis — stable, long-term rental yields in India's services-led economy—revived the real estate sector's contribution to FDI, which crawled back to 11.6% in FY16. More importantly, it energized office space build-up for large corporations as well as startups powering economic growth.
When Blackstone entered in 2006, Indian real estate was in a tizzy, inebriated by the funding frenzy of the go-go years. Parikh didn't strike a single deal for almost four years, and, inevitably, the party ended sooner. The field was almost empty after the crash with most investors fleeing Indian real estate after sinking money into ill-fated land bank stories.
Parikh leapt into the imagination of Mumbai financial mavens when Blackstone acquired the iconic Express Towers in 2013. But he had been quietly building an office space portfolio in Bengaluru and Pune for a few years by then. Blackstone initially chose cities which housed R&D hubs and shared service centers of marquee global corporations. These were clients ushering in modern workspaces and forked out commensurate rents.
Parikh worked on identifying strong local partners, even though outright acquisitions were also on the plate. "He worked with a slender team in choosing good partners like Jitu Virwani of Embassy and K Raheja, besides identifying the right premises with marquee clients. The assets are well spread out, reducing the concentration risks as well," Parekh of HDFC, who is unrelated to Parikh of Blackstone, added. The New York- headquartered investor has 27 projects on the ground across six cities in India.
Blackstone's activity had caught the attention of several global investors, including Canadian Pension Plan and reignited ambitions of GIC of Singapore, among others. The large university endowments and family offices that invest in private equity firms prodded them to look at the Indian commercial real estate market. But this investor fancy is posing problems at a time when the job-generating sectors — IT services, pharma and telecom — are at a crossroads. The unabated build-up leading to a falling capitalization rate (used to estimate investor's potential return based on rentals) and prospect of increased regulatory scrutiny are among the worries Blackstone is keeping track of.

BETTING ON INDIA'S FUTURE

Tuhin Parikh—the lanky, bearded and number crunching Mumbaikar— schooled at Maneckji Cooper, went to Narsee Monjee and is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad. He began his corporate career with ITC and worked with The Chatterjee Group before joining Blackstone
"Blackstone is betting on India's long-term economy even though IT services and back-office industries are facing headwinds. It speaks about Tuhin's persuasion skills to convince faraway investors to invest big in India real estate"

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Murder outside South Delhi stadium over an affair

NEW DELHI: A day after a 40-year-old woman was found dead outside Thyagaraj Stadium in south Delhi, a man named Vinod (34) was arrested for allegedly planning and executing the murder.
The woman was in a live-in relationship with Vinod, but they had recently become estranged, police said.
Vinod told the police that he had married the woman, Santoshi, at an Arya Samaj temple. A few days ago, when he returned from work he found her with another man. When he objected to this, she fought with him, left the house and started staying on rent in Mundka.
The accused then decided to kill Santoshi. He took her to INA market where he bought a knife from a cutlery shop. The estranged couple then had a few drinks together after which he took her to gate number 1 of Thyagaraj Stadium and stabbed her multiple times.
After confirming that she had died, he threw the knife at the spot and went to his cousin's house in Mundka.
The man has four brothers and a sister. His father had passed away six years ago. Earlier, he was a fruit vendor near Sewa Nagar railway crossing. He has been a tuberculosis patient for the past eight months.
Santoshi's body was handed over to her family on Tuesday. Her children have been sent to a childcare home and will be handed over to the nearest family members once they approach the authorities.

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41 NE women commandos to man frontline defences in Delhia

NEW DELHI: Undergoing training by the best in the business, these 41 women commandos from Northeast may be second to none when it comes to handling a terror strike or a hostage situation. This Independence Day, these elite women cops would helm the security detail at Red Fort and India Gate, amid intelligence inputs of women Fidayeen planning to target the capital.
Right now, these women are in the middle of a four-month advance commando training at Jharoda Kalan. Inducted into the force as constables, they have already undergone a rigorous 10-month police training, which they completed with exceptionally good grades. The new commando force is the brainchild of police commissioner Amulya Patnaik.
According to special commissioner Dependra Pathak, these commandos will be posted with different units, including Parakram and SWAT. "Many of them will be posted in the anti-terror Parakram vans. As of now, there are 10 such vans and each of them has a women commando. Fifteen more vans will be inducted soon and these commandos will be deployed there too," he added.
An ACP-rank officer, O P Sharma, is heading the training programme. To cross the language barrier, an instructor from the Northeast has been roped in. "These policemen are extremely professional and dedicated towards their training. They can spring from deep sleep to action — fully armed — within a minute of an alarm being sounded. There is an amazing mix of cultures on display at the academy at present," said Sharma.
The training includes advanced hand-to-hand combat moves from Krav Maga, a form of martial art developed by the Israeli army. Most of these women had joined Delhi Police in 2016. Pressed into action, they can carry out reconnaissance, design maps and begin an assault within 10 minutes of reaching a spot. Each "hit-team" consists of a team leader, two recce officers, a communication specialist, two sharpshooters and a medic.
Each commando is armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, or an MP5 submachine gun, with at least four 30-round magazines, a Glock 17 or Glock 26 pistol, hand grenades, a wireless set, a 20-metre nylon rope, a pencil torch, a bulletproof helmet (patka for Sikhs), bulletproof jacket, flame torch, cutter and a commando dagger. Special knee and elbow pads are also worn for protection during stealth attacks. The commandos also learn warfare techniques, such as identifying improvised explosive devices.
These commandos are best equipped to handle crises in the capital as their training and combat skills are Delhi-centric — from climbing multi-storey buildings within seconds to rescuing hostages from a room located in the core of a hotel, or a DTC bus or the Metro.

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India permitted to construct Kishanganga, Ratle projects: World Bank

WASHINGTON: Under the Indus Waters Treaty, India is permitted to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions, the World Bank has said.
Pakistan opposes the construction of the Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts) hydroelectric power plants being built by India, it said in a fact sheet issued yesterday at the conclusion of secretary-level talks between the two countries over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
Noting that the two countries disagree over whether the technical design features of the two hydroelectric plants contravene the treaty, the World Bank said the IWT designates these two rivers as well as the Indus as the "Western Rivers" to which Pakistan has unrestricted use.
"Among other uses, India is permitted to construct hydroelectric power facilities on these rivers subject to constraints specified in Annexures to the treaty," the Bank said in its fact sheet as it noted that the secretary-level discussions between Indian and Pakistan on the technical issues of the IWT took place this week "in a spirit of goodwill and cooperation".
The parties have agreed to continue discussions and reconvene in September in Washington, DC, it said in a separate statement.
In the lengthy fact sheet, the World Bank said Pakistan asked it to facilitate the setting up of a Court of Arbitration to look into its concerns about the designs of the two hydroelectric power projects.
On the other hand, India had asked for the appointment of a neutral expert to look into the issues, contending the concerns Pakistan raised were "technical" ones.
The IWT was signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations between India and Pakistan with the help of the World Bank, which is also a signatory.
The World Bank's role in relation to "differences" and "disputes" is limited to the designation of personnel to fulfill certain roles when requested by either or both of the parties, the fact sheet said.

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