By Satish Sharma
Amid the Centre’s intend of blocking flow of water to Pakistan from the Indus River System, as per the Indus Water Treaty(IWT), renowned water activist and former Haryana MLA Raghu Yadav has demanded annulment of the 59-year-old agreement.
Yadav, popularly known as ‘Jal Yudh Nayak’ for his leading role in the three-decade-long campaign for full supply for water from the eastern rivers of Indus river system–the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej to needy states like Haryana and Rajasthan, is happy on the government’s decision of stopping flow of water to Pakistan, from India’s share.
However, he termed it as an inadequate measure, announced by water resources Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday, in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
Yadav also discounted the IWT as an agreement, without sanctity of an international treaty, between India and Pakistan and demanded its annulment.
“What Gadkari ji has announced certainly fulfills our prolonged demand, but this is not enough as by taking this measure you do not render hardship to Pakistan”, Yadav told UNI over telephone. All Indian projects on Eastern Indus rivers were planned and designed to utilise the entire flow of the Ravi, the Sutlej and the Beas in our territory, even a single drop of this, flowing to the neighbouring country over the years was sheer incompetence on our part. Farmers in many parts of Rajasthan and Haryana are water starved and we are allowing to flow out even our share to Pakistan, the neighbour that time and again proved itself as our adversary,” Yadav said.
He said that Pakistan and India signed “treaty” for distribution of water between the two countries after protracted parleys and negotiations that continued for more than 12 years. Now Pakistan has more than enough water but most parts of India face water crises and states in the country fight over water.
The treaty was signed between the then Pakistani dictator Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan and the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1960, which stated that both nations are equally desirous of attaining the most complete and satisfactory utilisation of the waters of the Indus system of rivers.
Yadav said Pakistan got control of the Indus, the Jhelum and Chenab while India given regulatory charge on the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi.
“Though the IWT was evolved and signed in the presence of authorities from the World Bank (WB), it was not an international treaty as the WB was not a party to the agreement and it’s role in the process was only of a “good officer,” Yadav said quoting various texts and documents. “IWT was nothing but just an unequal agreement between India and Pakistan that gave more share to the latter. This one sided agreement was with certain expectation of goodwill and good sense in bilateral ties. However, Pakistan has always acted otherwise.”
Pundit Nehru was given impression that if India showed generosity in giving water share from Indus system, Pakistan can reciprocate the gesture while solving the Kashmir issue”, the former MLA said.
However, Field Marshal Ayub Khan acted otherwise after the signing of the agreement, he added.
Therefore, the IWT agreement must be anulled immediately, he demanded and added that by planing and building control on western rivers of Indus system, India can strategically get upper hand over “generally troublesome” neighbour.
Gadkari has also reportedly hinted on Friday, at possible move of abrogating the treaty. (UNI)
