On March 22 every year, World Water Day is being celebrated on global level, focusing attention on the world's water crisis as well as the solutions to address it. In this context, with reference to India and Pakistan, the issue of water needs special notice.
Notably, since the 9/11 tragedy, international community has been taking war against terrorism seriously, while there are also other forms of bloodless wars, being waged in the world and the same are like terrorism. In these terms, India has been waging water war against PakistIn the recent past, while addressing Islamabad's concerns by speaking in diplomatic language, Indus Water Commissioner of India G. Ranganathan stated, "India had been affected as much as Pakistan due to water shortage in the Indus." He denied, saying: "Indian decision to build dams on rivers has led to water shortage in Pakistan", while rejecting Islamabad's concerns regarding water-theft by New Delhi including violation of the Indus Water Treaty, assuring his counterpart, Indus Water Commissioner of Pakistan, Syed Jamaat Ali Shah that all issues, relating to water between Pakistan and India would be resolved through dialogue.
In international politics of today, these are deeds, not words which matter, so ground realties are quite different as to what G. Ranganathan indicated in his statement. In fact, India is acting upon water war against Pakistan.
Besides other permanent issues including the thorny dispute of Kashmir which has always been used by India to malign and pressurise Pakistan, water of rivers has become a matter of life and death for every Pakistani as New Delhi has continuously been employing it as a tool of terrorism to blackmail Pakistan.
In the recent past, Indian decision to construct two hydro-electric projects on River Neelam which is called Krishanganga in Indian dialect is a new violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty of 1960. The World Bank, itself, is the mediator and signatory for the treaty. After the partition, owing to war-like situation, New Delhi deliberately stopped the flow of Pakistan's rivers which originate from the Indian-held Kashmir Even at that time, Indian rulers had used water as a tool of war against Pakistan. However, due to Indian illogical stand, Islamabad sought the help of international arbitration. The Indus Basin Treaty allocateswaters of three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan, while India has rights over eastern rivers ofRavi, Sutlej and Beas.
Since the settlement of the dispute, India has always violated the treaty intermittently to create economic crisis in Pakistan. In 1984 a controversy arose between the two neighbouring states after India began construction of the Wullar Barrage on river Jhelum in the occupied Kashmir in violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty.
In the past, the issue of Wullar Barrage has also been discussed in various rounds of talks, being held under composite dialogue process between the two rivals, but Indian intransigence has continued.
Notably, since the 9/11 tragedy, international community has been taking war against terrorism seriously, while there are also other forms of bloodless wars, being waged in the world and the same are like terrorism. In these terms, India has been waging water war against PakistIn the recent past, while addressing Islamabad's concerns by speaking in diplomatic language, Indus Water Commissioner of India G. Ranganathan stated, "India had been affected as much as Pakistan due to water shortage in the Indus." He denied, saying: "Indian decision to build dams on rivers has led to water shortage in Pakistan", while rejecting Islamabad's concerns regarding water-theft by New Delhi including violation of the Indus Water Treaty, assuring his counterpart, Indus Water Commissioner of Pakistan, Syed Jamaat Ali Shah that all issues, relating to water between Pakistan and India would be resolved through dialogue.
In international politics of today, these are deeds, not words which matter, so ground realties are quite different as to what G. Ranganathan indicated in his statement. In fact, India is acting upon water war against Pakistan.
Besides other permanent issues including the thorny dispute of Kashmir which has always been used by India to malign and pressurise Pakistan, water of rivers has become a matter of life and death for every Pakistani as New Delhi has continuously been employing it as a tool of terrorism to blackmail Pakistan.
In the recent past, Indian decision to construct two hydro-electric projects on River Neelam which is called Krishanganga in Indian dialect is a new violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty of 1960. The World Bank, itself, is the mediator and signatory for the treaty. After the partition, owing to war-like situation, New Delhi deliberately stopped the flow of Pakistan's rivers which originate from the Indian-held Kashmir Even at that time, Indian rulers had used water as a tool of war against Pakistan. However, due to Indian illogical stand, Islamabad sought the help of international arbitration. The Indus Basin Treaty allocateswaters of three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan, while India has rights over eastern rivers ofRavi, Sutlej and Beas.
Since the settlement of the dispute, India has always violated the treaty intermittently to create economic crisis in Pakistan. In 1984 a controversy arose between the two neighbouring states after India began construction of the Wullar Barrage on river Jhelum in the occupied Kashmir in violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty.
In the past, the issue of Wullar Barrage has also been discussed in various rounds of talks, being held under composite dialogue process between the two rivals, but Indian intransigence has continued.
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