Pakistan team sent to Jammu and Kashmir, BJP leader seeks termination of Indus Water Treaty

With a five-member Pakistani delegation currently touring power projects in Jammu and Kashmir along with neutral World Bank experts, the BJP on Thursday called for the scrapping of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan.

“We hope that the Indian government will intensify efforts to scrap the treaty in the larger interest of the country as a whole and Jammu and Kashmir in particular,” Devender Rana, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said in Jammu.

Rana reiterated the BJP’s stand on reviewing the treaty, which was signed under the Indian National Congress government in 1960. “The treaty is beneficial for Pakistan but has had a detrimental effect on the development and water security of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader said a review of inland waterways was essential to resolve the long-standing issues in Jammu and Kashmir. “A sincere resolution holds the key to faster development in the region, especially in the power sector,” he added.

Power Project Inspection

His remarks assume significance as a 40-member team, including Pakistani delegation and World Bank experts, returned to Jammu after a three-day tour of Chenab Valley and inspected two major power projects — the 850 MW Ratol Project and the 1,000 MW Pakal Dal Hydroelectric Project.

Under the treaty, India has full rights over the natural flow of water from three rivers in Jammu and Kashmir and three rivers in Punjab. Pakistan claims that power projects built on the rivers in Jammu and Kashmir “reduce the volume of water in the rivers”. India, however, maintains that its use of water has been in accordance with the treaty.