New Delhi, Jan. 11: India has decided not to stop work on the Baglihar project despite Pakistan?s threat to seek the World Bank?s intervention.

The four-day talks on the project held here last week between the technical teams of the two countries ended in a stalemate. Pakistan yesterday threatened to involve the World Bank, the guarantor of the Indus Water Treaty signed between the neighbours in 1960.

The treaty provides that if the two countries are unable to solve their differences, either of the two sides could seek the World Bank?s intervention to break the deadlock. Pakistan now wants to use that provision after its Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz gave the go-ahead.

But India ? keen to ensure Islamabad does not have a veto on development work in Jammu and Kashmir ? does not seem unduly worried.

South Block officials clarified that Delhi would not be the first to blink in the game of ?you call my bluff?. But, on the face of it, India continues to stress on sorting out differences with Pakistan bilaterally.

?India is of the opinion that more technical-level talks between the two sides are required on the Baglihar project,? foreign ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said this evening when asked to comment on Pakistan?s threat to seek World Bank intervention. ?India,? he added, ?has asked Pakistan to come back for more technical-level talks on the issue so that it can be sorted out amicably and bilaterally.?

In private, however, Indian officials were clear that Delhi would not stop work on the Baglihar project, irrespective of Pakistan asking the World Bank to intervene or not.

The tough Indian stand stems from its past experience in dealing with Islamabad on a similar issue and also from Delhi?s knowledge that Pakistan wants work at Baglihar suspended to establish it has veto power on anything related to Jammu and Kashmir.

South Block officials pointed out that India, had in 1988, decided to suspend work on the Tulbul project, also in Jammu and Kashmir, as a ?goodwill gesture? to then Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

?Even after 17 long years, work on the project has not resumed and it has become part of the eight issues of the composite dialogue where India and Pakistan have differences,? a senior official said.

India is also confident its position on Baglihar is ?watertight? and that there has been no violation of the water treaty despite Pakistan?s charges to the contrary. Delhi knows the ?neutral expert?s? views would favour it if Islamabad does carry out its threat to involve the World Bank.