First Secretary of the High Commission of India in Islamabad, Sidhharth Zutshi, writing in a Pakistani newspaper, took a stance over the media reports that a series of hydropower generation projects initiated by India had given rise to concerns that New Delhi was trying to control the river water and thus ‘strangulate’ Pakistan’s agriculture and economy.
In this regard, Zutshi drew attention towards a statement in the National Assembly, given by the Minister of Water and Power of Pakistan on April 22 which stated, “There is no illegal construction by India on the western rivers under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty 1960.”
He added that most of the questions regarding implementation of the treaty over the last 50 years have been resolved in the Permanent Indus Commission. He also expressed his concern at voices through the columns and reports of Pakistani print and electronic media to those who “beat the drums of war in the name of water”.
The impression Zutshi gave in his stance is totally unfounded, baseless and misleading, as various non-Pakistani media are also reporting the same sort of stories about Indian violation of Indus Water Basin Treaty of 1960.
The Statesman, contradicted his stance as well in its February 22, 2010 story titled “India plans Bursar Dam on River Chenab, Pakistan keeps mum”. The story stated, “With Pakistan still undecided when to formally seek intervention of the International Court of Arbitration against controversial construction of Kishanganga hydropower project by India in violation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, New Delhi has started preparations to build another big dam on River Chenab.”
The story adds the proposed dam would not only violate the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, international environmental conventions and cause water scarcity in Pakistan but would also contribute towards melting of Himalayan glaciers.
The newspaper further writes that Bursar Dam would be constructed near Hanzal Village (near Kishtwar) in Doda District of Jammu and Kashmir on the 133-kilometre-long Marusudar River, the main right bank tributary of the Chenab river. Its construction would be a serious violation of the treaty as its storage was much behind the permissible limits. More than 4900 acres of thick forest would be submerged and the whole population of Hanzal village would be displaced.
Amit Ranjan, an Indian PhD student at the South Asian Studies School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, writes in a Pakistani newspaper on May 31, 2010 “both India and Pakistan are equally responsible for damaging the spirit of the IWT. The foreign minister of Pakistan has categorically accepted the fact that Pakistan wastes 35 percent of the water in its system. India is at fault because it causes misery when crucial spigots run dry because upstream water is stored at sowing season in Pakistan”.
Similarly, one can find many reports in various newspapers across the globe that India is violating the Indus Water Basin Treaty of 1960 between India and Pakistan.
Finally, if Pakistani media is beating the drum without anything, why are voices being raised in international media about India’s water disputes with China and Bangladesh?
KHALED IKBAL
Islamabad
