Many people are still stuck in the past and blame US, World Bank and India for pressurizing Pakistan to accept an unfair Indus Water Treaty in 1960. After 53 years of the agreement, does it matter if the treaty was fair or unfair? Our professional & politicians have to move on and present people new ideas to live within the available & agreed water resources instead bemoaning about something that is done deal. Moreover, whether this deal was good or bad, all civilized nations have to honor their commitments made with all stakeholders and international guarantors.
However, it does not mean that the treaty was as -per the international water laws. As a matter of fact, upper riparian and dominant regional power was calling all kind of shots as almost all Pakistani rivers originated from the foreign lands.
Had Pakistan took this issue with a tribunal established in 1947 to decide about the joint assets/ resources till 31st march 1948, we might have secured a better deal. By missing the referred avenue to settle water issue with India, the present Pakistan was left at mercy of the Indian up-stream control & manipulations. Came April 1. 1948, many canals originating from Indian Punjab went dry. Indian squeezed unpleasant concessions to reopen those canals because of the desperate situation that existed in Pakistani Punjab.
When negotiations got stuck, US/ World Bank played a role that helped to have serious engagement between India and Pakistan on the trans-boundary transaction of river flows. India had all the cards in hand and hence insistence on the international laws on established water rights went no where and finally it was dropped.
When there two civil service officers heading their respective delegations, both sides agreed to a settlement but later India changed its position. Had this settlement been accepted, Pakistan would have kept its two rivers, The Sutlej & Ravi, not as remnants of past rivers like Hakra.
In a way, division of water resources has been almost proportional to the size of the Indus Basin in India & Pakistan. However, this proportional division was not based on the quantity from each river but division of rivers themselves. India got full rights on the Sutlej, Ravi & Beas and Pakistan got full rights to the remaining three western rivers called the Indus, Jhelum & Chenab with some riders.
Without quibbling over already established water rights as per the international laws, within the bind that Pakistan was in, still the treaty kept Pakistan afloat. One unfair aspect of the treaty is that Indian side sought & got additional rights like irrigation water, hydro-power generation using run-of-the-river projects, etc., within Indian administered Kashmir but there was no allowances either debated or agreed for mitigating environmental consequences along the Sutlej & Ravi rivers. Perhap blame of this goes to the negotiators if they did not raise this issue or the high-handedness of President Gen.Ayub Khan & his minister for fuel & natural resources, Zulifqar Ali Bhutto, who forced & agreed to sign the Indus Water treaty in 1960 without seeking such minimum provision.
However, it does not mean that the treaty was as -per the international water laws. As a matter of fact, upper riparian and dominant regional power was calling all kind of shots as almost all Pakistani rivers originated from the foreign lands.
Had Pakistan took this issue with a tribunal established in 1947 to decide about the joint assets/ resources till 31st march 1948, we might have secured a better deal. By missing the referred avenue to settle water issue with India, the present Pakistan was left at mercy of the Indian up-stream control & manipulations. Came April 1. 1948, many canals originating from Indian Punjab went dry. Indian squeezed unpleasant concessions to reopen those canals because of the desperate situation that existed in Pakistani Punjab.
When negotiations got stuck, US/ World Bank played a role that helped to have serious engagement between India and Pakistan on the trans-boundary transaction of river flows. India had all the cards in hand and hence insistence on the international laws on established water rights went no where and finally it was dropped.
When there two civil service officers heading their respective delegations, both sides agreed to a settlement but later India changed its position. Had this settlement been accepted, Pakistan would have kept its two rivers, The Sutlej & Ravi, not as remnants of past rivers like Hakra.
In a way, division of water resources has been almost proportional to the size of the Indus Basin in India & Pakistan. However, this proportional division was not based on the quantity from each river but division of rivers themselves. India got full rights on the Sutlej, Ravi & Beas and Pakistan got full rights to the remaining three western rivers called the Indus, Jhelum & Chenab with some riders.
Without quibbling over already established water rights as per the international laws, within the bind that Pakistan was in, still the treaty kept Pakistan afloat. One unfair aspect of the treaty is that Indian side sought & got additional rights like irrigation water, hydro-power generation using run-of-the-river projects, etc., within Indian administered Kashmir but there was no allowances either debated or agreed for mitigating environmental consequences along the Sutlej & Ravi rivers. Perhap blame of this goes to the negotiators if they did not raise this issue or the high-handedness of President Gen.Ayub Khan & his minister for fuel & natural resources, Zulifqar Ali Bhutto, who forced & agreed to sign the Indus Water treaty in 1960 without seeking such minimum provision.
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