In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that India has decided to divert water from rivers flowing into Pakistan
‘Under the leadership of Hon’ble PM Sri @narendramodi ji, Our Govt. has decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan. We will divert water from Eastern rivers and supply it to our people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab,’ tweeted Gadkari.
‘The construction of dam has started at Shahpur- Kandi on Ravi river. Moreover, UJH project will store our share of water for use in J&K and the balance water will flow from 2nd Ravi-BEAS Link to provide water to other basin states,’ he tweeted.
All the above Projects are declared as the National projects, he added.
Earlier addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, Gadkari spoke about upcoming projects that would help in rejuvenating Yamuna river but by restricting water flow to Pakistan. Gadkari is the Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
#WATCH Union Minister Nitin Gadkari says,”Bharat aur Pakistan hone ke baad, jo humari 3 nadiyan Pakistan ko mili thi aur 3 Bharat ko mili thi. Humare teen nadiyon ke adhikar ka paani Pak mein ja raha tha, ab uss par 3 project karke yeh paani bhi Yamuna mein wapas la rahe hain.” pic.twitter.com/w6EfYi3cGg
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2019
The Indus Water Treaty, signed in 1960, divides the water available in the Indus System of Rivers between India and Pakistan. The treaty gives the Beas, the Ravi and the Sutlej rivers to India, while the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum rivers are given to Pakistan. Therefore, this move by India will be according to the treaty. The amount of water carried by the three rivers allotted to Pakistan is already more than double the water carried by the three rivers given to India.
Gadkari said, ‘The water from our three rivers was going to Pakistan, now we are planning to build a project and divert the water from these three rivers into Yamuna river. Once this happens, river Yamuna will have more water.’
This is not the first time that New Delhi decided to maximise the potential of India’s use of water on the three western rivers. In the aftermath of the 2016 Uri attack, the meeting of the Indus water commissioners of the two countries, held twice a year, was suspended.
In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, steps taken by the Indian government against Pakistan till now:
- PM Modi chaired a CCS meet with top security officials and his cabinet.
- Armed forces given a ‘free hand’ to exact the revenge at a place and timing of their choice.
- Mounted an insurmountable diplomatic offence by speaking to representatives of 25 countries, the ambassadors of Arab nations
- Withdrwal of the Most Preferred Nation (MFN) status from Pakistan and levying 200% duty in Pakistani goods
- Eliminated the suspected mastermind behind the attack, Kamran alias Ghazi, within 100 hours of the attack.
- Corps Commander Lt Gen KJS Dhillon said anyone who has picked up gun will be killed and eliminated.
- Govt downgrading security to more than 100 political leaders in J&K including 18 separatists.
The entire nation simmering with anger over the dastardly attack on a 70 vehicle CRPF convoy in south Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14, which claimed the lives of 40 soldiers. The terrorists rammed a car carrying 30 Kg of RDX into the first few vehicles of the convoy.
The responsibility for the attack was taken by terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, which is based in Pakistan and its chief is Masood Azhar, who was freed from an Indian prison in exchange for passengers aboard the hijacked flight IC-814. The proposal to name Azhar a ‘terrorist’ has been moved twice in the United Nations Security Council but has been vetoed by China. In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the French government has said that it will bring the proposal again in the UN.
US, Russia, France, Iran, Germany are among the 48 nations who have so far condemned the Pulwama attack and pledged support to India.