Indo-Pak joint statement at Cairo on Baluchistan, and the aftermath

[Yusuf]

India interfering in Balochistan: Gilani - Pakistan - World - NEWS - The Times of India

ISLAMABAD: Two days after the controversial Indo-Pak joint statement in Egypt, prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Saturday night blamed India
for "interference" in Balochistan and "other areas" and said the document reflected Pakistan's concerns over this.

The joint statement signed by him and prime minister Manmohan Singh "underlines our concerns over India's interference in Balochistan and other areas of Pakistan", Gilani told his first press conference after his return from Sharm-el Sheikh.

At the outset, he showered praise on Singh for agreeing to restart dialogue, saying the Indian leader had shown "political sagacity" and "statesmanship" in realising that talks were the only way forward.

The statement, which has been attacked by opposition parties and commentators in India, in a brief reference to Balochistan said that Gilani had "mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas."

Referring to the document, Gilani said it provides for discussion on all outstanding issues with India.

Asked when Pakistan will give proof to India about its "interference" in Balochistan, he said "as and when talks take place, it will be handed over. Right now we are talking about talks."

During his long interaction with journalists, Gilani was congratulated by them for "showing courage" during the talks with Singh and getting Balochistan onto the table.

 

[Yusuf]

Pakistan is putting a nice spin on the matter. Out PM maybe a Sardar, but hebis a smart Sardar. You think he will sign anything which states that India is tormenting trouble in Balochistan?

 

[thakur_ritesh]

there are a few possibilities to this whole thing as i see it.

this was a very smart counter move by the pakistanis, to india raising the issue of terror, where they very quietly with sugar quoted words pushed the indians to include baluchistan in bargain of something significant which is not being mentioned in the open, into the draft text of the joint statement and now the whole game being played by the pakistanis is coming to the fore or the us has forced india to look into the concerns of pakistan on the issue so the mention in the joint statement or there is a clear indian hand, of which pakistanis have evidence to and indians had no choice but to include this issue but if pakistanis would have had evidence then they would have flashed the same through electronic media all over the place but nothing like that has happened.

i personally doubt indian hand in baluchistan because the us has given india a clean chit and they would not do that because eventually with disturbance in baluchistan it is the wot that gets into jeopardy, something a obama led us would never tolerate, and in case there is a us hand in all this well be rest assured we will be talking kashmir very soon and regularly where terror talks would just be another part of the whole discussion.

something is for sure more to this whole issue, than meets the eye. what i am quite clear about is that we have not heard the last on this issue and there will be more rhetoric on the issue coming from pakistan.

 

[Yusuf]

If Indian intelligence was half as capable as ISI, Pakistan would have been dismembered further after Bangladesh. Unfortunately the intelligence agencies have had nothing to show for since.

India has to play the diplomatic game well. Obviously there is no evidence with Pakistan but it will use it to drag it's feet on it's own complicity in terror attacks against India.

 

[kuku]

I think we can not have a peace with Pakistan in the current climate, and they will continue to support elements which as we speak are planning and supporting (ideologically, financial and with human resources) activities that will hurt our nation.

I hope if possible there is a spike in bomb blasts in Pakistan funded by India as a response to this stance, as war seems to be off the table and Pakistan utilized dialogue to bury the issues we raise and propagate their point of view (very effective and intelligent on their part).

If we start massing huge amounts of military on the border, Pakistan will be forced to respond which will hurt the WoT, if we can stand against the pressure that western nations led by USA and its BCA alliance will put on us, the western coalition will have no choice but to ensure that Pakistan cleans up the situation.

Really I see no light of hope here.

 

[I-G]

Baloch leaders back Manmohan on Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration

Baloch leaders back Manmohan on Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration



Praveen Swami


Imperative for India to speak up against Pakistan Army’s terrorism in Balochistan: Baloch society

“New Delhi ought to offer Baloch insurgents military support”

NEW DELHI: Ever since India and Pakistan signed a joint statement at Sharm el-Sheikh last week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come under sustained attack for consenting to the inclusion of a reference to Balochistan.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, the Joint Declaration records, “mentioned that Pakistan has some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas.”

Even the passing mention of the conflict, Dr. Singh’s critics contend, endorses Pakistan’s allegations that India is supporting the long-running insurgency in its largest province.

But Baloch nationalist leaders see things differently. Many have welcomed the Declaration, and called on India to use the opportunity to raise the issue in talks with Pakistan.

Suleiman Khan, the United Kingdom-based heir to the throne of the Khanate of Kalat, is among those who hope that the Declaration will lead to international intervention in the conflict in his province.

“We earnestly hope,” he told The Hindu, “that India will now act on its moral responsibility to raise the Balochistan issue with Pakistan and the world.”

“In this century,” Mr. Khan said, “India has acquired great influence and power. With power come obligations. We are surprised that India, despite claiming that it is a democracy and a supporter of human rights, has so far chosen not to take a proactive role in Balochistan.”

Wahid Baloch, president of the Baloch Society of North America, agreed. “It is imperative,” he says, “for India to now speak up against the terrorism perpetrated by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan.”

“For a variety of reasons,” he argued, “India has been very hesitant to support the Baloch cause, even though among all nations it is the only one to have voiced some concern for our plight. But if Pakistan can provide support for groups in Jammu and Kashmir, and raise the issue on every available international forum, why is India hesitant to do the same for our people?”

Both leaders were insistent that India had no role in supporting Baloch insurgents — but both said New Delhi ought to offer Baloch insurgents military support.

“As far as I know,” Mr. Khan said, “there is no Indian support for Baloch freedom fighters. If there were, I would welcome it.”

Mr. Baloch went further. “India rightly supported the just war of the people of Bangladesh against tyranny, and helped them win freedom. It is morally obliged, as a democracy, to provide Baloch groups with training and material support to stop the slaughter of our people.”

Like Jammu and Kashmir, the origins of the conflict in Balochistan date back to the independence of India.

The Khan of Kalat, the monarch who ruled Balochistan under the umbrella of the British Empire, sought independence for his state in 1947. Pakistani troops moved into the region in March 1948, but Mir Ahmad Yar Khan — Mr. Khan’s grandfather—refused to sign the legally necessary Document of Accession. Pakistan settled the issue by despatching combat jets to strafe the Khan’s palace.

In mid-1950s, the Prince of Kalat launched the People’s Party, representing a new Baloch nationalism that cut across tribal and linguistic lines. In 1972, a People’s Party-led alliance won the elections. It demanded greater representation of the ethnic-Baloch in government and control over regional development.

Pakistan’s establishment rejected these calls. Matters came to a head in March 1973, after Pakistan interdicted weapons alleged to have been despatched by Iraq’s covert service to the head of the Balochistan provincial government, Sardar Ataullah Mengal. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promptly dismissed Mr. Mengal’s government, and a bitter insurgency broke out.

Led by the Marxist Balochi People’s Liberation Front and the Balochi Students Organisation, some 10,000 guerrillas took on six divisions of the Pakistan Army, backed by close air support. In all 5,300 insurgents, 3,300 Pakistani troops and perhaps tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the fighting.

Since 2005, there has been renewed fighting in the region, fuelled by what Baloch leaders say is discrimination by the ethnic Punjabi-dominated federal government and Army. Insurgents have targeted troops and gas pipelines. Pakistan’s armed forces have, in turn, carried out massive bombardment and air strikes to quell the insurgency in which thousands have been killed.

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, the principal voice of the Baloch nationalist movement, was eliminated by Pakistan’s armed forces in August 2006.

United Nations estimates, published in December 2006, stated 84,000 people including 33,000 children had been displaced by the fighting in Balochistan. More than 2,000 people are alleged to have disappeared after they were held by Pakistan’s police and armed forces.

The Hindu : National : Baloch leaders back Manmohan on Sharm el-Sheikh Declaration

 

[Yusuf]

Indias role in Balochistan is next to nothing so far although it can do a lot if it chose to. Our presence in Astan is good enough base for us to help the Balochis.

RAW is not what it used to be in 1971. Don't know if it can recreate that in Balochistan. People give far more credit yo RAW than it deserves.

 

[Daredevil]

Proof of RAW involvement in terror acts given to India

Proof of RAW involvement in terror acts given to India

By Baqir Sajjad Syed

Wednesday, 22 Jul, 2009 | 05:00 AM PST |


ISLAMABAD, July 21: Pakistan has handed over to India comprehensive evidence of Indian involvement in a number of terrorist acts on its soil.

According to sources, a dossier containing proofs of India’s involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan was handed over by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh during their recent meeting at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

Pakistan has also shared these evidences with the United States and Afghanistan, specifically asking the latter to prevent the use of its soil for disruptive activities against it.

Although the information given to India is being kept highly secret, broad outlines of the dossier available with Dawn reveal details of Indian contacts with those involved in attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team and the Manawan police station.

Operatives of RAW who remained in touch with the perpetrators of the attacks have been identified and proofs of their interaction have been attached.

Besides, description of Indian arms and explosives used in the attack on the Sri Lankan team has been made part of the dossier.

Names and particulars of the perpetrators, who illegally entered Pakistan from India and joined their accomplices who had reached Lahore from Waziristan, have been mentioned.

Furthermore, the evidence of Indian link lists the safe houses being run by RAW in Afghanistan, where terrorists are trained and launched for missions in Pakistan.

The dossier also broadly covers the Indian connection in terror financing in Pakistan.

A substantial part of the shared material deals with the Balochistan insurgency and Indian linkages with the insurgents, particularly Bramdagh Bugti, Burhan and Sher Khan.

Pictures of their meetings with Indian operatives are part of the evidence, which also describes Bugti’s visit to India and the meetings he had with Indian secret service personnel.

It makes mention of the India-funded Kandahar training camp, where Baloch insurgents, particularly those from Bugti clan, were being trained and provided arms and ammunition for sabotage activities in Balochistan.

The sources claim that Dr Singh agreed to ‘look into Pakistani claims’ and to take ‘corrective action’ if proven. He is said to have assured Mr Gilani that India is against interference in other countries and Pakistan’s stability was important for them.

A joint communiqué, released after the Gilani-Singh meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, reflected information-sharing because it included reference to Balochistan and the information available to Pakistan; reiteration of Indian commitment to a stable and democratic Pakistan; and an agreement on sharing real time credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats.

Mr Gilani’s close aides confirmed that in his meeting with Mr Singh he took up the issue of India’s involvement in the attack on the Sri Lankan team and other subversive acts.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said: ‘Yes, these issues were discussed.’

 

[Daredevil]

Does this have any bearing on the sharm-al-sheikh Joint statement by our PM??.

Anyways, if there was indeed some real evidence on Indian involvement, Pakistan would have never remained silent without making this issue global. I highly doubt if there is any substance in the dossier and that is why it is doing this in a low key manner.

 

[hit&run]

we all were expecting this news. dont we:dazed:. :dk::twizt:

 

[dineshchaturvedi]

Hi,
I am not sure if this is really the official stand of Pakistan or deliberately planted news. One of the incidences this news seems to blame is attack on SL cricket team in Lahore. If we consider that RAW did that, then RAW is really very powerful in Pakistan to manage the following.

1) A call was made by a police officer to change the route of the SL bus (RAW has agents in Pak Police, and till now he is not been arrested).
2) The terrorist after the attacked walked freely without a worry, even a police jeep passed them without even trying to arrest. (RAW has entire police of Pakistan on Payroll).
3) The leadership of Pakistan (PM/President) never blamed India for the attack. (RAW has Mr. 10 percent and Gilani on Payroll).
4) And the list is endless.

And what about this news? In which by Pakistan’s own police admits Taliban was involved in this. (Does RAW have Taliban on Payroll too).
Lahore attack suspect arrested | Pakistan Cricket News | Cricinfo.com
Ohh Man, if this is the case I salute RAW, you are doing a good job.

Last even if we did it, so be it.

 

[Pintu]

Baluchs in US seek Indian help to end Pak`s "state terror"

Baluchs in US seek Indian help to end Pak's "state terror"

Updated on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, 17:51 IST

Washington: A Baluchi group based in the US on Wednesday appealed to India to help them end the "illegal occupation" and "state terrorism" perpetuated by Pakistan in Baluchistan.

Welcoming the joint statement released after a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani last week on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Egypt, the 'American Friends of Baluchistan' said, "This text gives a rare opportunity to New Delhi to fulfil its international obligations to the long suffering people of Baluchistan."

AFB leaders Rasheed Baluch and Mohammed Ali Baluch said, "now is the chance for India to put Pakistan on the mat" as the threat in Baluchistan comes from Pakistan's illegal occupation of their homeland.

They also asked New Delhi not to tie down Baluchistan with Pakistan support of jihadi terror in Kashmir. "Kashmir is an integral part of India and one of India's main founding fathers, Jawaharlal Nehru, was a blue-blooded Kashmiri," the two AFB leaders said.

In contrast, Baluchistan was never a part of Pakistan but forcibly occupied by Pakistan. "The Baluch are secular people who are fighting for their national survival and regaining their statehood.

"It is India's duty to openly support the Baluch liberation movement and prevailing upon Islamabad to end its state terrorism in occupied Baluchistan," the two AFB leaders said.

Bureau Report

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Pakistan is interferring in Kashmir, so isn't it hypocritical to be making a statement without any proof to back it up on top of it, if they have decided to back the kashmir separatist why can't India back the Baluchis? who have already went thru a genocide from pakistan?

 

[Energon]

The primary goal for Pakistan right now is to create a level of equatability in regards to terrorism. After the worldwide televising of the Mumbai attacks, for the first time there was a global consensus about the definitive "good guys"- India and the de facto "bad guys"- Pakistan. Consequently it resulted in the complete dissolution of respect or regard for Pakistan (which survives for the most part on the good graces of its benefactors) and that has obviously had quite an effect on the society at large (at least based on the anger and frustration vented through their media). Pakistan now sees this isolation as a grand conspiracy engineered by India and the only way to even this balance is by portraying India as an equal participant in the sponsorship of terrorism.

Vilifying and isolating Pakistan may please a lot of people in India and/or Afghanistan, and for very good reasons of course, but in the long run isolating an entire society no mater how much they "deserve" it never really works out well because the core problems remain unresolved. Also, there's always the increasing possibility that retributive isolation may further exacerbate the problem, as evinced by the rise of fascism in Germany which was fueled greatly by the treaty of Versailles. And ironically France, the nation that had sought to impose the staunchest positions in the treaty after WWI ended up suffering the most during WWII.

What's important to remember is that the obsession to be seen as equals to India in all regards (negative or positive) is nothing more than a Pakistani phenomenon. Nobody in the world actually believes this anymore considering the ground reality. And most of all, the quality of "evidence" supporting each sides is by no means equal. Just because Pakistan wants to claim that India is responsible for creating trouble in Baluchistan doesn't mean anyone is going to believe them without considerable evidence akin to what India has in regards to Pakistani involvement in the terrorism in Kashmir, high profile attacks upon India etc.

Affording the Pakistani civilian government an opportunity to submit dossiers (a mirror act of what happened after the Mumbai attacks) merely pacifies the populist anxiety about equatability vis a vis India, gives them a sense of trust in "the system" for having been given a forum to address their concerns and builds up some confidence in the fledgling government. In the bigger picture it means very little considering the video IDs of the SL attackers etc. have already shown that the perpetrators are obviously not Indian and multiple investigations by the US (and probably other authorities) have not produced any evidence of Indian involvement in Baluchistan.

NB> I don't necessarily believe that MMS' tactics are correct, I am merely trying to hypothesize the motives behind his decisions.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

maybe Pakistan should take some responsibilty for their actions instead of playing the victim, and blaming India for everything. Many things Pakistan has done had no Indian role in it the genocide of the Bangladeshis,Baluchis,Afghans, the creation of Taliban, state sponsored terrorism,acts of terror in USA and UK maybe these things caused their Isolation?? Maybe the world hates these actions? As far as them trying to keep up with India that has to be something their government has to look at, instead of madrassas maybe they should focus on education and development, If Mongolia wants to keep up China the rest of the world should feel sorry for it and help it all the time? look at tiny Taiwan and how they kept up with China, i don't see them resorting to terror and insurgency and a thousand cut policy. The USA now has a Af-pak policy maybe that should give a clue to Pakistan about their position in the world stage.

 

[Energon]

Anyways, if there was indeed some real evidence on Indian involvement, Pakistan would have never remained silent without making this issue global. I highly doubt if there is any substance in the dossier and that is why it is doing this in a low key manner.

I agree. If there was any genuine evidence they would have made this into a global issue. But as you can see, that is not the point of this entire exercise. The main objective is providing fodder for internal consumption and addressing two pressing concerns:

1. The obsession with India having gained the moral high ground after the Mumbai attacks.
2. India gets to have their say through dossiers and we don't, which means that the entire universe is against us.

By making a public display of talking about Pakistan's concerns the populist anger in Pakistan subsides a little and it empowers the weak civilian government.

Empirically it means very little considering both of these concerns are probably imaginary to begin with. Multiple investigations have shown that India is not involved in Baluchistan and there is already video evidence of the perpetrators of the SL team attack. Furthermore the mere idea of India having leverage with the Pakistani Taliban is idiotic (considering their leader has on more than one occasion talked about waging war against India) and it is well known that the financial burden of the SL attack in Pakistan was greater upon India because of the relocation of the IPL.

People are not stupid, and the powers that be (especially the US and GoI) realize that these pointless populist media battles are far more important to Pakistan than anything else. And providing the circus to empower the GoP is probably the only thing anyone can do for now.

Also lets not forget, Pakistan actually reactively submitted a dossier of their own right after India in the aftermath of Mumbai last December ranting about Lt. Col. Purohit, Samjhauta Express, violence in Karachi etc. etc. and nobody gave a crap back then either. It was just a way for the GoP to show that "we can match India in every move"... the content of what they have to offer is a non sequitur. Its just about the action.

This is just a do over for them in order to pacify the people and get them to respect their own government a little bit more.

 

[RPK]

Answer for this thread

'Pak handed over dossier on Ind link to attacks to Ind'

Islamabad, July 22 (PTI) A leading English daily here Wednesday claimed that Pakistan has handed over to India a dossier allegedly containing "comprehensive evidence" of Indian involvement in several terrorist acts on its soil, including the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team

The dossier with proof of "India's involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan" was handed over by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh during their recent meeting at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Dawn newspaper claimed quoting sources as saying

When contacted, an Indian High Commission official told PTI that the only information provided by Pakistan in the meeting between the two Prime Minister was on its dossier on Mumbai attacks which included reference to the five Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) people, who are undergoing trial in Pakistan, and 13 other suspects declared as proclaimed offenders

There was no information provided to India on alleged Indian links to attacks in Pakistan, the official said
Soon after the terrorist attack on Sri Lanka cricket team on March 3 in Lahore, a Punjab province minister had alleged an Indian hand in the attack on the cricket team which was, however, denied by the federal government

 

[Energon]

maybe Pakistan should take some responsibilty for their actions instead of playing the victim, and blaming India for everything. Many things Pakistan has done had no Indian role in it the genocide of the Bangladeshis,Baluchis,Afghans, the creation of Taliban, state sponsored terrorism,acts of terror in USA and UK maybe these things caused their Isolation?? Maybe the world hates these actions? As far as them trying to keep up with India that has to be something their government has to look at, instead of madrassas maybe they should focus on education and development, If Mongolia wants to keep up China the rest of the world should feel sorry for it and help it all the time? look at tiny Taiwan and how they kept up with China, i don't see them resorting to terror and insurgency and a thousand cut policy. The USA now has a Af-pak policy maybe that should give a clue to Pakistan about their position in the world stage.

This is never going to happen. And people have to make peace with this fact. Look, at the end of the day, having a poor relationship with reality eventually harms Pakistan the most.

The rest of the world has moved on, especially India (in this context). The question is what serves India's purpose the best? Fighting pointless battles of morality with Pakistan or keep their focus on economic and social development? The US has already figured out what the answer is for itself.

Nothing in Pakistan will ever change unless the Pakistanis themselves decide otherwise; and no amount of threats, bombings, naval blockades, border build ups, covert ops, "surgical strikes", trade restrictions, sanctions etc. from either India and/or the US is going to elicit the desired effect. At the same time if the Pakistanis can't tell between reality and conspiracy theories and choose to believe that India is responsible for launching the TTP (an inherently ludicrous assumption) nobody can stop them from doing so or save them from their self created paranoid delusions.

All anyone can do is give them an opportunity to vent their frustrations and hope that it will bring about a formative change in the social psyche.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

I think India has moved on atleast 10-15 years ago it is Pakistan that is stuck in the stone age wants India to join them.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

here is a good example of the mindset

Pakistan Observer - Newspaper online edition - Article

Water: India still blackmails Pakistan

Sajjad Shaukat

India leaves no stone unturned in blackmailing Pakistan by manipulating any crisis or dispute either it is of permanent or temporary nature. For example, by showing self-fabricated evidence, full of loopholes, India has broken all the previous record in blackmailing Pakistan in the aftermath of the November 26 Mumbai carnage. Although New Delhi has re-started dialogue with Islamabad, yet it has still been insisting on the latter to show progress over the culprits of Mumbai terror-events as pre-condition to talk on other issues of the composite dialogue. On the other hand, Pakistan’s rulers have been repeatedly emphasizing Indian leadership to produce solid information in this regard.

Apart from other permanent issues including the thorny dispute of Kashmir which have always been used by India to blackmail Pakistan, water of rivers has become a matter of life and death for every Pakistani as New Delhi has continuously been employing it as a tool of blackmailing. Recently, Indian decision to construct two hydro-electric projects on River Neelam which is called Krishanganga in Indian dialect is a new violation of the Indus Basin Water Treaty, signed in 1960 between Pakistan and India. The World Bank, itself, is the mediator and signatory for the treaty. As regards the background of the treaty, notably, after partition, India went to war against Pakistan for the illegitimate occupation of Kashmir which continued in one form or the other from October 1947 until January 1949. Owing to war-like situation, New Delhi deliberately stopped the flow of Pakistan’s rivers which originate from the Indian-held Kashmir. Even at that time, Indian rulers had used water as a tool of political blackmailing against Pakistan. However, due to Indian illogical stand, Islamabad sought the help of international arbitration. The treaty allocates waters of three western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan, while India has rights over eastern rivers of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas.

Since the settlement of the dispute, India has always violated the treaty intermittently to create economic crisis in Pakistan. In 1984 a controversy arose between the two neighbouring states after India began construction of the Wullar Barrage on river Jhelum in the occupied Kashmir. New Delhi halted construction work in 1987 after Pakistan lodged a strong protest over the project, stating it violated the Indus Water Treaty. In the past, the issue of Wullar Barrage has also been discussed in various rounds of talks, being held under composite dialogue process between the two rivals, but Indian intransigence continues. In the mid 1990s India started another violation by constructing the Baglihar dam on the Chenab river. In 2005, Pakistan had again sought the World Bank’s help to stop construction of the Baglihar dam. Although WB allowed India to go ahead with the project after a few modifications, yet it did not permit the interruption of the agreed quota of water flow to Pakistan.

Last years, India suddenly reduced water flow of the Chenab river to give a greater setback to our autumnal crops. Islamabad on September 17, 2008 threatened to seek the World Bank’s intervention on the plea that New Delhi had not responded to its repeated complaints on the issue appropriately. Pakistan’s Commissioner to the treaty, Syed Jamaat Ali Shah had also remarked that the shortage of water in the Chenab river, occurred due to filling up the Baglihar dam. In addition, he elaborated that despite repeated pleas from Islamabad, India did nothing to address the problem.

During water-dispute negotiations between India and Pakistan last year, the former had intended to settle the issue by paying off in terms of water or money for the outage it had caused to Pakistan. But Pakistan’s Secretary Water and Power, Ismail Qureshi had made it clear on September 17, 2009 that compensation even in these terms was not the solution to the unjust done to Pakistan which had already suffered huge losses owing to Indian sudden suspension of water.

Nevertheless, apart from intermittent violations of the Indus Water Treaty by construction of the Krishanganga project over Neelam River, New Delhi, in fact, has been using water as a tool to pressurise Islamabad with a view to getting leverage in the composite dialogue especially regarding Indian-held Kashmir where a new phase of protests and state terrorism has started, and where people have intensified their struggle for liberation. Indian diplomacy of employing water as a tool of blackmailing could also be judged from a latest development. Reports suggest that India has secretly offered technical assistance to the Afghan government in order to construct a dam over Kabul River which is a main water contributor to Indus River.

It is of particular attention that by applying such a shrewd diplomacy of water, New Delhi intends to fulfil a number of nefarious designs against Pakistan. India wants to keep her control on Kashmir which is located in the Indus River basin area which contributes to the flow of all the major rivers, entering Pakistan. It is determined to bring about political, economic and social problems of grave nature in Pakistan. As regards the Indian clandestine aims, in this respect, a report, published in the “New Scientist” in 2005 pointed out a number of issues in relation to Pakistan by writing: “Violation of the Indus Basin Treaty could lead to widespread famine, and further inflame the ongoing conflict over Kashmir. Pakistan relies on the Indus river and its tributaries for almost half of its irrigation supplies, and to generate up to half of its electricity. Pakistan also fears that India would use various dams as a coercive tool by causing floods in Pakistan through sudden release of dam waters.” In this context, China Daily News Group wrote in 2005: “Another added complication is that in building a dam upstream of Pakistan, India will possess the ability to flood or starve Pakistan at will. This ability was witnessed in July of 2004 when India, without warning, released water into the Chenab river, flooding large portions of Pakistan. The history of conflict between these two nations makes it possible for New Delhi to use nature as a real weapon against Islamabad.” According to an estimate, unlike India, Pakistan is highly dependent on agriculture, which in turn is dependent on water. Of the 79.6 million hectares of land that makeup Pakistan, 20 million are available for agriculture. Of those 20 million hectares, 16 million are dependent on irrigation. So, almost 80% of Pakistan’s agriculture is dependent on irrigation.

It is notable that many of Pakistan’s industries are agro-based such as the textiles industry. Besides, 80% of Pakistan’s food needs are fulfilled domestically. Thus an interruption of water supply would have broad-ranging effects. For example, when the country suffered a drought from 1998 to 2001, there were violent riots in Karachi. As already mentioned that half of Pakistan’s energy comes from hydroelectricity, and at present, our country has been facing a severe crisis of loadshedding which is the result of power-shortage in the country. Recently, people in a number of cities like Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad etc. lodged violent protests against the loadshedding, culminating into loss of property and life.

While Pakistan has already been facing multiple challenges of grave nature coupled with a continued phenomenon of terrorism like suicide attacks, bomblasts etc., committed by the militants who enter our country from Afghanistan where Indian secret intelligence agency, RAW has established training centres for anti-Pakistan activities—New Delhi also uses water as a tool by increasing its scarcity, making life too often miserable for Pakistanis with the unlitmate aim of creating poverty which could produce more terrorism in turn. And is likely to deepen differences among Pakistan’s provinces over various issues which are directly or indirectly related to water. So, still by employing water as an instrument of blackmailing, Indians continue to intensify political unrest, economic instability and social strife in Pakistan.