India's Home Minister: India "will never" resume the water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.
In an interview released on Saturday, India's Home Minister announced that New Delhi "will never" resume the Indus Waters Treaty signed with Pakistan. The treaty was suspended in April this year due to military standoff between the two countries following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir.
India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty signed with Pakistan in 1960 in April this year. This followed an attack in a tourist town in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. India blamed the attack on jihadist groups supported by Islamabad, but Pakistan denied the accusation. Subsequently, both countries engaged in a series of escalating attacks and counterattacks.
Despite the continued validity of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries, Amit Shah, India's Home Minister, told The Times of India that the Indian government will not resume the treaty for sharing river waters, as water is crucial for water-scarce Pakistan. "This treaty will never be resumed," he emphasized.
He added: "We will build a canal to divert water flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan in India. Pakistan will be deprived of the water it has unjustly obtained."
To balance the tense water relationship between India and Pakistan, the two countries signed the Indus Waters Treaty in 1960, allocating the western rivers to Pakistan and the eastern rivers to India, and establishing mechanisms for cooperation and information exchange regarding river usage. If India stops sharing water under the treaty, it would mean that India can modify existing infrastructure without notifying Pakistan, thereby intercepting or diverting more water, exacerbating Pakistan's water shortage problems.
In May, after New Delhi announced its intention to continue suspending the treaty even after a ceasefire agreement, Islamabad declared the treaty untouchable.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated: "Neither party may modify or terminate the treaty without mutual consent." In May, the two countries were involved in a four-day conflict, resulting in over 70 deaths from missiles, drones, and artillery fire.
Source: rfi
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835592501464076/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.