Nihat wrote:SSridhar wrote:The 'solution' that the above article offers hinges on cooperation on water. That would be a non-starter. India must be really foolish to offer a selective cooperation because a lower riparian state needs more water because of its poor water management, burgeoning population, dependence on water-guzzling crops and crop patters, poor farming techniques and skills etc. while that country continues to maintain unbridled hatred, unrelenting animosity, sending in terrorists to destroy us, allowing its terrorist tanzeems to recruit and train jihadis, maintaining a disproportionate armed force and nuclear weapons specifically to harass and threaten us and lying through their teeth not only to its own people but the rest of the world about evil Indian hegemon.
Pakistan must radically change before the kind of cooperation proposed by that author can be thought of. Water cannot be part of any CBM.
Very true , the IWT offers us the strategic advantage of being the upper riparian and when the situation turns desperate across the border (signs already evident) , the treaty buys us a significant negotiating tool.
The treaty is an example , a landmark one at that, in water conflict management between countries which are part of an international river basin. There are states ( J&K, Himanchal) which do not derive much benefit out of it. There are countries , such as China and Afganistan, which are not part of this river basin.
The main beneficiary of the traty is Pakistan. As has been noted in this thread, about 80% of water of the Indus system ( excluding those flowing from AFG) get allocated to it. Now which upper riparian country would concede 80 % of water to lower riparian country with which it had fought wars and a terrible partition episode and was/is a weak country when treaty was concluded.
So one can accuse India of not cooperaing with lower riparian country only if his senses have taken leave of oneself. Moreover, all official pronouncements by PK indicate and acknowledge the fact of careful adherehence to IWT by India even when hostalities broke out.
It is patently unfair to even suggest that IWT give India undue advantage and that India is not cooperating. Now I do not understand what more cooperation PK needs from India. . Do they want India to surrender all rights to western rivers and give all waters of eastern rivers to them? This can not even be contemplated.
This cry for cooperation is compounded by their water mismangement which results in 40% wastage of precious commodity. This is nothing but criminal waste and Pakistan should be taken to task by upper riparian state. Clean up your water dance or loose rights to water.
If they fear Indian action of stopping water at some unforeseen time in future they should analyse what is the source of this fear. A guilty conscience, having perpetrated acts of terrorism and caught in the process , can not rest easy on their heads. Yet India has shown remarkable restraint in all aspects of its relations with them. Of course India would never mind Pakistan exploring all avenues available to it under IWT.
Yet in their foolhardines they object to all schemes on the river basin as if they own the property ( IWT does not permit the ownership of area issue to come into the picture) . They hold a virtual pocket veto by taking recourse to each and every avenue available to them, right from delay in response to their own lack of technical competence to understand projects to prolonged negotiations, raising absurd demands at each turn and resorting to threats of instituting NE /Arbitration proceedings. They have even resorted to unprovoked firings in the project areas close to borders to scare away workers and militants/terrorists often threaten to blow up the works.After vitiating the atmosphere and muddying the water they expect fullest cooperation in delivering Indian interest to them on a plater. We can very well cut out head and give it to them and somehow they would be propitiated.
The so called moderate voices in Pakistan are nothing but the blunt edge of the knife they want to put in the heart of India.
The writer suggests "opportunities afforded by the "sharing the resource" paradigm".
India has set itself a target of adding 78,700 MW capacity in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.
The Government is hopeful that the country may end up adding a capacity of just 62,374 MW, about 20 per cent below the original target for the plan.
When India itself is energy hungry and it is unlikely that its demand is satiated for next few decades the question of selling electricity to Pakistan does not arise. As regards water, it is already getting 80% of it and wasting it. It has not constructed a single large storage dam after Tarbela to mitigate its problem nor has it constructed any HydroElectricity plants to tap the potential.If it has no plan to tap the resources available to it why it wants to ride on other's target. Will it be in a position to contribute financially or materially? I think it would demand free electricity and water so that it is not forced to fire the gun cocked at the head of India. Once sharing the resources idea is accepted it would demand a joint watershed /resource management authority where only Pakistan would weild veto with possibility of third parties meddling in the issues giving free advice.
Pakistan has to take following actions to solve its water problem.This advice is free ( to my dear pakilurks)
1. Invest heavily in tapping your water and hydro electricity potential
2.Build dams where you can manage water efficiently
3. Enforce strict water usage discipline, impose penal taxes and fines reduction in supplies to violators.
Now how to address their worst nightmere
They have to do one or two simple thing
1. Stop all state and non state actors and eat all Dossas provided by Lungimaster
2. Show result which demostrate their sincere desire for detente
3.Give Occupied J&K back to where it belongs
4. This space is reserved for future statements once first three are done.
That would make repproachment possible and then we can dream of living happily everafter.Right now Pakistan is suffering from Hyper Hydration and needs emergency treatment.
