| by Prof. Ali Sukhanver
( November 22, 2012, Islamabad, Sri
Lanka Guardian) The political government of Pakistan has been in a constant
effort of establishing friendly relations with the neighbouring countries in
spite of a lot of economic problems, continuous unfair international pressures
and the ever hovering hostile clouds of enmity along the borders. It is not
only the policy of the present government but on the whole the strategy of
Pakistan since ever to promote cordial relationship with the neighbouring
countries. Following the same policy of
friendship and alliance, a few days back President Asif Ali Zardari confirmed
Pakistan's consent on visa agreement between Pakistan and India which was
signed between the two countries on September 8, 2012. The agreement aimed at
giving more concessions and simplifying the procedure to grant visa with a view
to promoting people-to-people contact. The objective of this visa agreement
between the two countries is to facilitate the travelers of the two countries
to visit each other. Under this agreement, besides diplomatic, non-diplomatic and
official visas, visitor visas shall be issued to the persons visiting the other
country to meet relatives or friends or for any other legitimate purpose. With
a validity of six months’ time period, this visa shall permit a visitor to
visit a maximum of five specified places. This agreement would certainly bring
the two countries more close to each other and generate a new air of trust and
confidence between the two nations with a lot of positive changes but it could
have been much better if the two countries had signed another agreement also
regarding the decades long water conflicts.
According to the media reports a reduced
flow of water at Head Marala has recently been noticed by the Pakistani water
management authorities. This reduction in water flow would prove very much
harmful and disastrous to the crops on a large area of Pakistan and it may lead
to a situation of famine causing whole sale starvation. Snatching water from
Pakistan and turning Pakistan into a wasteland has ever been an Indian desire.
To fulfill her evergreen desire of changing Pakistan into a dry land, India has
been working on different water projects since long. These projects include
Kishinganga Project, the Baglihar Hydroelectric Plant, the Wullar Barrage
Project and so many others.
The construction of the Wullar Barrage
on the River Jhelum would provide India total control over River Jhelum and
with the help of this project India would be in a position to deprive Pakistan
of water of River Jhelum during winter seasons. This barrage would certainly
affect the water of River Neelum also and it is feared that the water of River
Neelum diverted towards Wullar Lake would be consumed within Wullar Lake and
will not go in River Jhelum. Kishinganga Project is also one of the worst
examples in this regard. The Kishinganga Hydroelectric Project on the River
Neelum is located near the Line of Control in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Under
the Kishinganga Project, India has diverted the water of Neelum River through a
canal system. The River Neelum is called Kishinganga River when it passes
through India and the water of the River Kishinganga is reserved for Pakistan's
Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project, work on which started in 1989. The
diversion of water in Kishinganga project will decrease water flow at
Neelum-Jhelum project and generation capacity of this project will reduce by
20%. Moreover it will adversely affect agriculture in Neelum Valley and
Muzaffarabad District of Pakistan.
According to the Indus water Treaty,
exclusive rights of the western rivers water are with Pakistan but India has
been violating these rights for the last many decades. World Bank’s arbitration
court is also very well aware of the injustice done by India with reference to
the construction of dams and barrages on the rivers flowing to Pakistan. The
honourable court has recently issued orders allowing a Pakistani delegation to
visit and inspect the site of Kishinganga Dam. Earlier Pakistan had pleaded
that illegal construction activity on the Kishinganga Dam was going on despite
the stay orders issued by the arbitration court. Same was the case with the
construction of The Baglihar Hydroelectric Plant. The Baglihar Hydroelectric
Plant is located on River Chenab and its construction plan was communicated by
India in 1992. It was commissioned in 2008. During its initial filling, India
again violated the clauses of the Treaty by not filling the dam in stipulated
timeframe and by not ensuring requisite inflow at Marala Head Works of
Pakistan. Construction of this dam caused huge amount of water losses to
Pakistan. The drastic reduction of inflow at Marala resulted in acute scarcity
of irrigation water for paddy crops in Marala command Canals area covering over
more than 10,000,000 acres of land. All these actions of India are nothing but
simply the violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. The situation demands new
water treaties between India and Pakistan otherwise as a result of water
scarcity, Pakistan would become a desert land very soon. The government of Pakistan
is taking revolutionary steps to minimize the differences and distances between
the two countries by introducing new visa policies and trade facilities. But
this reality must never be ignored that a wasteland could never be an
attractive and profitable market for the traders.
 The political government of Pakistan has been in a con...){kind=link}