A quarrelsome state

Individuals can be quarrelsome and obstinate being prey to the vagaries of human nature. But states with an individuality cannot be either quarrelsome or obstinate in their relations with world community especially their neighbours. Sad as it is, this is the bane of our next door neighbour on the west. Among other things, Pakistan’s quarrelsomeness has been manifest in the matter of water dispute with India.
Five rivers in Northern undivided India originate in our country. Their waters flow westward. Obviously both the countries need water of these rivers. The question of sharing the water of the rivers flowing into Indus became an irritant between the two countries. Finally on the mediation of Word Bank, a formula was drawn for the share of water each country would be having from these rivers. At the same time it was also laid down in the treaty that any dispute in regard to sharing of water would be referred to the World Bank for a solution. Despite this Pakistan has been raising questions and controversies most of which are unnecessary and extraneous. There are clear instructions how the water resources from the rivers would be utilized for generation of electric power. This also includes the tributary rivers that ultimately fall into one of the major rivers. Thus when the State Government decided to built a lake from the waters of Tawi near Jammu, Pakistan raised some objections which were irrelevant from Indian point of view. But Pakistan remained adamant and finally after much hassle, which included a formal visit of a team from Pakistan, the World Bank endorsed India’s standpoint and the work was resumed.
In another case, Pakistan objected to India raising the wall for storing the water of Kishen Ganga, a tributary to Jhelum at a site near Gurez in Bandipore district of North Kashmir. The stored water was desired to be diverted into Jhelum for production of hydroelectric power. From Indian stand, what we were doing was perfectly within the stipulations of the Indus Water Treaty. But Pakistan, finding it a pretext raised objections and tried to make an issue out of it. Pakistan began objecting to the construction of hydroelectric project alleging that it was violation of Indus Water Treaty.
In 2009 Pakistan proposed to refer the matter to the Court of Arbitration, as provided in the treaty. The power plant India planned to build was on River Jhelum and the Indus Water Treaty did provide for a neutral body of experts on water to arbitrate in a matter of dispute. Now after nearly four years of discussions and field studies, the Court of Arbitration has delivered its verdict which states that there is no violation of the Indus Water Treaty by India. This vindicates India’s position once again.
Pakistan is determined to inflict economic damage to India in whatever way it can. Four precious years have been wasted on this senseless dispute. The purpose of Pakistan is to arrest the development of India wherever she can. The Court of Arbitration has reaffirmed India’s right to the diversion of water of Kishen Ganga at a site in Gurez.
It will be recalled that of late Pakistan has raised the bogey of India intending to starve Pakistan of water. Islamabad has been raising the issue in many non-formal and some formal platforms and giving an impression that the Indus Water Treaty has not done justice to her and that it needs revision. This voice is also being raised by many anti-India fanatical organizations in that country. Not only that it has also been known that some influential circles in Pakistan are now saying that water dispute with India is much more important than Kashmir issue and the core issue is water. This means that Pakistan is not satisfied with Indus Water Treaty and a day might come when it will unilaterally withdraw from the treaty. It, therefore becomes all the more important for India to warn the international community that by creating obstructions to India’s power generating projects Pakistan wants to repudiate her commitments made by signing the Indus Water Treaty. Not only water, generation of hydroelectric power is as well of highest priority to our country and the State. We cannot afford to be victims of the whims and wayward wishes of Pakistan which is behaving nothing better than a quarrelsome state on outlook for petty pretexts. The decision of the Court of Arbitration should be presented as a proof of Pakistan’s ill intentions and should be a point of reference for any dispute on water sharing in future.

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