‘Blood and water can’t flow together’

India govt mulls reneging on Indus Water Treaty as apex court rejects plea seeking to declare IWT ‘unconstitutional’

“BLOOD and water cannot flow together,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he chaired a review meeting of Indus Water Treaty during which it was decided that India will “exploit to the maximum” the water of Pakistancontrolled rivers, including Jhelum, as per the water-sharing pact.

Held amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, the meeting also decided to set up an inter-ministerial task force to go into the details and working of the treaty with a “sense of urgency”, Indian media reported, citing senior government officials.

In the meeting, the Indian premier reportedly zeroed in on adopting an aggressive strategy to raise pressure on Pakistan.

The move came days after he threatened Pakistan with global ‘isolation’ following the recent Uri attack.

India has been deliberating on the pros and cons of action on the 1960s water treaty between the two nations as a strong response to the separatist attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir which left 18 Indian soldiers dead, according to NDTV. India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a charge the latter denied.

Officials say an assessment of the Indus treaty is bound to factor in China, where the river Indus originates. Unlike India and Pakistan, China has not signed any international water sharing agreement.

Earlier, quoting a senior government official The Hindu said: “It is only a meeting to assess the Indus Waters Treaty. The Prime Minister will discuss the pros and cons of turning off the tap to Pakistan.”

Separately, the Indian Supreme Court has refused to hear a petition challenging the validity of the treaty on an urgent basis. “Keep politics aside. The matter will come in due course,” the bench responded when the counsel for the petitioner called for an urgent hearing.

The 1960 Indus Water Treaty is a water-sharing treaty between the two countries, brokered by the World Bank. Under the accord, India can use water from the three eastern rivers Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, while Pakistan has exclusive rights over the three western rivers Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. INDIAN SC REJECTS PLEA SEEKING TO DECLARE IWT UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Meanwhile, the Indian Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition seeking court’s orders for declaring the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) unconstitutional.

A two-judge bench of the apex court took up the plea for hearing Monday.

The court, while rejecting the plea, remarked that this treaty should be kept from political tension.