ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal said on Saturday that the government will ensure the early completion of all hydro-related projects, including the Diamer Bhasha Dam, to prevent India from taking advantage.
India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action for a deadly April attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam that it blames on Islamabad, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Following the attack, New Delhi “put in abeyance” its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord has not been revived despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing on a ceasefire earlier this month following the worst fighting between them in decades.
Speaking to a delegation of engineers led by Secretary General Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) Engr Ameer Zameer, the minister said work on these projects is being prioritised in light of India’s water aggression. He added that funds would be allocated on a priority basis for such initiatives to ensure long-term water security.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week said that Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights, but Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary shrugged off the remarks as an insane thought.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the spokesperson of armed forces said that only a madman would think that India can stop Pakistan’s water as it was impractical to cut off water for 240 million people.
Iqbal clarified that the delay in the upcoming federal budget is due to the prime minister’s foreign visit and the Eid holidays, not due to any pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He stressed that there is no IMF pressure regarding the budget, and the government is committed to offering relief to the people.
He also stated that the security situation demands an increase in the defence budget and announced the introduction of a paid internship programme for young engineers.
The planning minister reassured the engineers that their demands will be incorporated into the upcoming budget and expressed satisfaction that the IMF was content with the government’s economic policies.
Regarding political matters, he said the country remained united following the recent military success against India. He criticised the PTI founder, saying the response to Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s recognition for exemplary leadership has not been positive from Imran.
He concluded by stating that the government will not take any step that harms national unity or cohesion.
After unilaterally suspending India’s participation in the treaty, Modi ordered officials to expedite the planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan’s use, Reuters reported.
India is permitted to draw a limited amount of water from the Chenab for irrigation, but an expanded canal — which experts said could take years to construct — would allow it to divert 150 cubic meters of water per second, up from about 40 cubic meters currently, as per official discussions and documents seen by sources.
About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country.
Any efforts by Delhi to build dams, canals or other infrastructure that would withhold or divert a significant amount of flow from the Indus system to India “would take years to realise,” said water security expert David Michel of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
