Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, lashed out at previous governments led by Congress while making poignant observations about the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.
While not mentioning Congress directly, Modi referred to the treaty as weakly negotiated, citing clauses that prohibited the desilting of dams on Jammu and Kashmir's rivers.
Addressing a function in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, PM Modi highlighted what he referred to as the "shocking" conditions of the treaty. He noted that reservoirs, that were originally meant to be filled to capacity, have now reduced to only 2 to 3 percent.
"I would like to tell the young generation how our nation was devastated. If you read about the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, you will be amazed. It was agreed that the dams constructed on the rivers of Jammu and Kashmir would never be cleaned. Desilting would never be undertaken. The bottom gates for desilting were to be closed," explained the prime minister.
He further stated, "For 60 years these gates were never opened. Reservoirs that should have been filled to 100% capacity have now been depleted to a mere 2% or 3%."
Welcoming India's latest decision to suspend the treaty due to Pakistan continuing to shelter terror outfits on its territory, Modi had said, "At present, I haven't done anything and people are sweating there (Pakistan). We have opened little gates for cleaning the dams, and there is already a flood there."
India had last month suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following a gruesome terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people — one local and 25 tourists — were gunned down by terrorists who allegedly asked them to identify their religion. This suspension continues until Pakistan unambiguously and irretrievably gives up its support for cross-border terrorism.
India also strongly rejected any possibility of reviving the suspension of the treaty during recent DGMO-level talks to sustain a ceasefire after India's Operation Sindoor targeting Pakistan-based terror camps and their infrastructure.
What Is the Indus Waters Treaty?
The World Bank-brokered Indus Waters Treaty in 1960 is an important agreement regulating water sharing between the two nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan. In the treaty, India maintains the three rivers of the east — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — and Pakistan has rights over the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. Though there have been several instances of increasing tension and battles, including the 1971 war and the Kargil war in 1999, the treaty remained intact to a great extent.
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