N.P.Upadhyaya:

India’s Water War: 

Whereas India controls every drop of water flowing from Nepal towards its territory, India following the Pulwama Attack has threatened to cut back on water flowing through its rivers to Pakistan- a threat it has made before but now seems more determined.

The Indian Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari – a senior BJP leader had made this ugly threat to Pakistan recently.

The Sanatan Dharma does not allow denial of water to anyone.

The greatest sin the ruling Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party of India has committed is by threatening to cut back water flowing to Pakistan.

This is so un-Hindu like conduct of the Hindus of India.

Observers in Nepal opine, also in political terms this was the strongest threat India has made in the recent years more so after the Pulwama attack that killed more than 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force troops in the disputed and the troubled area of India tortured Kashmir.

If India intends to control the river flow to Pakistan then naturally Nepal too has the right to divert the waters that flow to India through the Nepali landmass.

But what will happen if Tibet, China diverts the flow of the Brahmaputra River that flow through Assam, India? China too has the right much the same way as India claims for Pakistan.

Attacking Minister Gadkari’s meaningless talks, the Indian Congress last Friday said it was an attempt to “package high octane jingoism to subterfuge national security failures”.

To put the record straight water sharing between the two countries has been governed by the Indus Water treaty of 1960.

The treaty, as far as we understand was brokered by the World Bank where it was decided that India would have control over three rivers: Beas, Ravi and Sutlej on the eastern side, and Pakistan would control the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum on the western side. However, the treaty allows India to construct hydro-power projects on western rivers on run of river technology without affecting the flows to Pakistan.

Imran’s Peace Initiative:

A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Hindu leader Ramesh Kumar Vankwani was recently in India. During his stray Vankwani met with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

He was the special emissary of Prime Minister Imran Khan to India had had carried his peace message to India.

But, it appears that his mission failed because the two South Asian nuclear nations on February 26-27, 2019, exchanged air strikes.

Pakistan not only captured one Indian air force pilot and brought down two Indian fighter jets.

In a daring decision-welcomed by the whole world, Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan also decided to return the captured Indian pilot to home as a “peace gesture”.

Imran’s peace overture have well been received inside India itself much to the discomfort of PM Modi and his fundamentalist BJP.

Prime Minister Imran’s decision, say observers has averted a nuclear war in the region.

But a million dollar question is that will the war monger Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his adviser Ajit Doval and its lap media give peace yet another chance, as offered by PM Khan, for people living in the South Asian region and much beyond?

Imran Khan’s popularity graph in this part of the world and beyond has suddenly gone up since he decided to send the captured Indian Air force pilot Abhinandan back home as a peace signal that has now encouraged the people of the greater South Asian region to recommend his name for Nobel peace Prize.

Modesty and honesty pays finally.