Indus Waters Treaty another element to use against Pakistan: Congress

The Congress on Monday said the Indus Waters Treaty was one of the multi-pronged approaches against Pakistan and the government should also consider other methods like building of more dams.

"Indus Waters Treaty is yet another element in the multi-pronged, multi-faceted approach against Pakistan. These are ultimately for the government to calibrate and it doesn't necessarily start from abrogation.

"Article 62 of the Vienna Convention provides for such withdrawal but short of withdrawal there are many other methodologies and methods available to the government. To take one example, construction of many more dams, which are allowed under the treaty... even that can affect the lower riparian state within the permissible limits of the treaty," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi at a press conference.

He, however, said that he was not giving any suggestion to the government or making any demand.

"There are plethora of options. We cannot be silent spectators to be told of muscular jingoism everyday with zero action on the ground.

"This is of one multi-pronged approaches, the others being economic, diplomatic, military, social, cultural, international, foreign, direct and indirect," he added.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that "blood and water cannot flow together", Singhvi said: "Is is better to talk about in the language I spoke about Indus Waters Treaty and Article 62 or in the language of 'jumlas', you should decide."

Following the September 18 cross-border terror attack on an Indian Army camp at Jammu and Kashmir's Uri, the government on Monday decided to review the 56-year-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

At a meeting of senior officials, chaired by Prime Minister Modi, it was decided that an inter-ministerial commission would be set up to go into various provisions of the bilateral treaty, brokered by the World Bank, after Islamabad's fear that since the source of the Indus basin rivers are in India, it could potentially create drought and famine in Pakistan during times of war.

According to the agreement, India has control over three eastern rivers -- Beas, Ravi and Sutlej -- and Pakistan, as per the treaty, controls the western rivers -- the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.

The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar, among others.

--IANS

sid/vd/dg