A day after India decided to stop the water from its rivers flowing into Pakistan, Union Minister of Water Resources Nitin Gadkari on Friday upped the ante and said that his ministry is looking at ways to stop even Pakistan’s share of water from flowing into the neighbouring country.
He said the final decision will be taken at the level of the prime minister, but he has asked his department to prepare the technical design, ANI quoted the minister as saying.
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“Nirnay kewal mere dept ka nahi hai, sarkar aur PM ke level pe nirnay hoga par maine apne department se kaha hai ki #Pakistan ka jo inke adhikar ka bhi paani ja raha tha vo kahan kahan rok sakte hain uska techinical design bana ke taiyaari karo,” Nitin Gadkari told ANI.
According to the water sharing treaty – Indus Treaty – signed by the two countries in 1960 water from the six common rivers has been divided between India and Pakistan. India has full rights over the waters of the eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, while the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus waters have been allotted to Pakistan.
Pakistan was reported as saying that it was “not concerned”. Khawaja Shumail, the Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources, told Dawn News: “We have neither concern nor objection if India diverts water of eastern rivers and supplies it to its people or uses it for other purposes, as the IWT (Indus Waters Treaty) allows it do so.”
After the February 14 Pulwama terrorist attack on a 70 vehicle CRPF convoy the government on Thursday decided to stop India’s share of water from flowing into Pakistan.
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“Agar isi tarah se vo bartav karenge aur aantankwaad ka samarthan karenge toh phir unke saath manavta ka vyvahaar karne ka kya matlab hai,’ he told ANI.
(Translation: If they (Pakistan) keep behaving like this and supporting terrorism then what is the point in having a humanitarian apporoach towards them, he added.)
India has already decided to revoke the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan, levy 200% duty on the goods from the country and mounted a diplomatic offensive to isolate it in the international community. Earlier in the day the United Nations Security Council condemned the Pulwama attack and called it a ‘heinous and cowardly.’
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