 "Water flows on the banks of Chenab River with the Baglihar hydroelectric project in the background, about 155 km northwest of Jammu. India is conducting a feasibility study to construct a 113 km-long canal to redirect surplus flow from the three western rivers of the Indus water system to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. File photo/Reuters")
India will not bow down to Pakistan’s pressure to change its stance on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Islamabad has written a letter to India seeking revocation of the suspension of IWT that came into effect following the Pahalgam attack on April 22.
India’s Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil said, “The water won’t go anywhere… What he says is his own opinion… We are not afraid of false threats.”
Referring to Pakistani leader Bilawal Bhutto’s recent comments on the treaty, where he threatened to “take all six rivers”, Patil said, “He also talked about blood and water flowing but we are not scared of such hollow threats. This decision belongs to the Indian government. Whatever decision is taken will only benefit the nation.”
The central government has opted to reroute water originally designated for Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty to benefit four Indian states, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, a source told news agency ANI. To implement the move, the Jal Shakti Ministry is rapidly advancing infrastructure projects on a priority basis.
What did Bhutto say?
Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bhutto, earlier this week, said that Islamabad would not tolerate if the country’s water rights are violated, adding that India should review the IWT.
Speaking at the National Assembly’s budget session, Bhutto said, “India has two options: share water fairly, or we will take it from all six rivers.”
“India’s claim that the treaty is in abeyance has no legal basis. According to the UN Charter, cutting off water is a form of aggression. We do not want war, but if water is used as a weapon, Pakistan will be forced to act — and we are in a position to defeat India just as we have before,” he added.
India will ’never’ restore IWT
Meanwhile, in an interview with TOI, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that India will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Islamabad.
“No, it will never be restored,” Shah told the daily.
“We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably,” Shah said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia put into “abeyance” its participation in the 1960 treaty, which governs the usage of the Indus river system, after 26 civilians in Kashmir were killed. The treaty had guaranteed water access for 80 per cent of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers originating in India.
With inputs from agencies