Pakistan to expedite hydropower projects after India suspends water treaty

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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday announced that in response to the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Agreement by the Government of India, the government will accelerate work on important hydropower projects, which aims to protect the country’s water security.

India is considering plans to dramatically expand the water derived from a large river that puts Pakistani farms in the flow, as part of a deadly April attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, according to four persons, according to Islamabad.

Following the attack, New Delhi “put its participation in the 1960s Indus Wates”

Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but neighbors equipped with several nuclear weapons did not agree to the ceasefire to the two neighbors armed with nuclear weapons after the worst fighting in decades.

Talking to a delegation of engineers led by Secretary General Institution of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) Engineer Amir Zameer, the Minister said that work on these projects is being preferred in light of India’s water aggression. He added that funds will be allocated on a priority basis for such measures to ensure long -term water safety.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last week that Pakistan will not get water from rivers, which India has rights, but Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), removed remarks as a madness.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, a spokesman for the Armed Forces said that only a crazy person would think that India could withhold water in Pakistan because it was unacceptable for 240 million people.

Iqbal made it clear that the delay in the upcoming federal budget was due to the Prime Minister’s foreign visits and Eid holidays, which is not due to pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He emphasized that there is no pressure from the IMF regarding the budget, and the government is determined to provide relief to the people.

He also said that the security situation demands an increase in the defense budget and has announced the introduction of an internship program for young engineers.

The Minister of Planning assured the engineers that their demands would be included in the next budget and expressed satisfaction that the IMF agreed to the government’s economic policies.

Regarding political issues, he said the country remained united after the recent military success against India. He criticized the PTI founder and said that the response of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for the ideal leadership has not been positive with Imran.

He concluded that the government would not take any action that would harm national unity or harmony.

According to Reuters, after unilaterally suspending India’s participation in the agreement, Modi ordered officials to accelerate the planning and implementation of the projects on the Chinab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system which were mainly nominated for the use of Pakistan.

India is allowed to drag water from the Chenab for irrigation, but an expanded canal – which experts say it may take several years – it will currently be allowed to divert 40 cubic meters from 40 cubic meters to 150 cubic meters, which according to sources.

About 80 % of the Pakistani farms depend on the Sindh system, as is almost all serving the country.

David Michelle, a Washington -based Center for Strategic and International Water Security, said that by any efforts to build dams, canals or other infrastructure, which prevents or turns a certain amount of flow from the Sindh system to India. “

With additional input from Reuters