Islamabad: India does not need any weapons against Pakistan. India can finish Pakistan only with water, claim the Pakistani analysts. The dams being built in Jammu-Kashmir have given rise to this fear expressed by these Pakistani analysts. India is building 12 more new Hydel projects in Afghanistan. These projects will also reduce the water flow in the rivers coming from Afghanistan and this possibility is bothering the analysts the most.
Water is a necessity not only for drinking, but also for agriculture and industry. But the Pakistani government has always neglected this reality and even today, Pakistan is not taking the water issue seriously, was the criticism showered by Dr. Tasir Salahuddin, Professor at the University of Central Punjab. ‘The dams Kishanganga and Ratle, constructed by India on the Jhelum and its feeder rivers is a blatant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. But the Pakistani government was unable to plead its side strongly in the international court. Therefore, Pakistan was unable to stop these projects. Pakistan will have to suffer dire consequences for this,’ warned Dr. Salahuddin in her article in the Daily Times.
‘India is an enemy country and it has behaved exactly in the same way as an enemy does. Why shouldn’t India attempt to destroy Pakistan by creating a drought situation stopping the water? Isn’t that the easiest way to finish the enemy without a direct war?’ asked Dr. Salahuddin. Muhammad Asad Ilyas connected with the Institution of Business Administration has also made a similar criticism in his article in The Express Tribune.
India is building dams only to stop the Pakistani water. Pakistan pleaded with its allies and the United Nations about the matter, but there was no response. Ilyas has blamed the Pakistani government for this, questioning why the international community was reluctant to help Pakistan. Pakistani media has also expressed fear of further water crisis arising from the India-Afghanistan Partnership. India has constructed Friendship dam (Salma) for Afghanistan. This dam has a hydel project of 1117 megawatts. India is thinking of building 12 more hydel projects in Afghanistan. These projects will be situated on rivers in Afghanistan including the Kabul River. The Kabul River originating in the Hindukush mountain ranges, traverses Afghanistan to flow into Pakistan. But the Pakistani media has expressed concern that the hydel project on this river will change the flow pattern of the rivers and the Pakistani land adjoining Afghanistan will become barren.
There are nine rivers flowing into Pakistan from Afghanistan. Nearly, 16.5 million-acre feet water flows only through the Kabul river into Pakistan. This flow has been endangered because of the dam being built by India. On the other hand, India is building dams on Jhelum and Chenab rivers in Jammu-Kashmir. Therefore, these analysts are claiming that India is creating one more battleground against Pakistan by stopping its water.
Meanwhile, Pakistani attempts to prove that India was trying to cut-off its water failed at the international level. Although there is a criticism that this was due to lethargy on part of the Pakistani government, India seems to have won because of its stronger position on the matter. Pakistan is simply wasting the water that is flowing into Pakistan through the rivers. Pakistan does not have the intent nor the capacity to store this water. Therefore, India has said that there is no other reason for the objections raised by Pakistan, except that it is part of its anti-India campaign.
A few reasonable analysts and responsible officers from Pakistan have accepted this argument. These analysts have pointed out that Pakistan has adopted an adamant stance on this matter. But the hardliners from Pakistan have been saying that India should not concern itself about, whether we use or waste our water, which shows that Pakistan is not at all serious about this matter. Nevertheless, Pakistan consistently uses this issue against India.
While campaigning for the elections to be held on the 25th of July, terrorist leader Hafiz Saeed has announced that if his party comes to power in Pakistan, it will not allow India to construct the dams on these rivers and stop Pakistan’s share of the water. Thus, it appears that this issue is more of a political agenda for Pakistan rather than the concern for water.
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