New Delhi, April 25 . A meeting was held at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday regarding the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty. In a nearly 45-minute long meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, ways to stop the water going to Pakistan were seriously discussed.
According to sources, three major options, short-term, medium-term and long-term, were considered in the meeting. The government has a clear intention not to let even a drop of water go to Pakistan.
After the meeting, it was decided that work would be started immediately on every possible way to stop the water. Officials have been instructed to take immediate steps in this direction.
Earlier, Jal Shakti Ministry Secretary Devshree Mukherjee had written a letter to Pakistan’s Water Resources Ministry Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza. Through the letter, she formally informed Pakistan about the decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty with immediate effect.
The letter said that this is in the context of notices sent by the Government of India to the Government of Pakistan, seeking amendments to the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 (Treaty) under Article 12 (3) of the Treaty. The notices mention changing circumstances, such as a huge increase in population, the need for clean energy development and changes in fundamental assumptions related to water sharing.
India says that for these reasons, it is necessary to re-examine the obligations under various articles and contracts of the treaty. The letter also accuses Pakistan of violating the treaty.
India said that Pakistan has continuously promoted cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, due to which security uncertainties have hindered India from fully exercising its rights under the treaty. In addition, Pakistan did not respond to India’s request to start talks under the treaty, which is a complete violation of the treaty.
Debashree Mukherjee had clarified in the letter that the decision to suspend the treaty has been taken by the Government of India after deep deliberations. The Indian government has decided that the Indus Water Treaty 1960 will be suspended with immediate effect.
It is worth noting that the Indus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 under the mediation of the World Bank, under which India kept the right to use the water of the three eastern rivers, while the flow of the three western rivers was given to Pakistan.
