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| 'INDUS WATERS TREATY - a BIGGEST IMPEDIMENT IN ECONOMIC SELF-RELIANCE: QARRA | | NEW DELHI SHOULD COMPENSTAE LOSSES | |
Srinagar, Sept 11: Soon after assuming the charge as the Minister for Finance, Planning, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Tariq Hamid Qarra on Monday termed the "controversial" Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960 as the "biggest impediment in the economic self-reliance of the state of Jammu and Kashmir".
Mr Qarra reiterated that the government of India should compensate the losses incurred by the state because of the treaty, and that it (IWT) should be reviewed.
He said the state government should impress upon the government of India that the state had suffered a lot on IWT count, and expressed his optimism that the process to receive compensation from New Delhi should expedite.
In his maiden press conference, Qarra while talking to reporters here this afternoon said: "The biggest impediment in the economic self reliance of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960s (signed between India and Pakistan over Kashmiri waters), and the government of India should compensate the losses incurred by the state because of the IWT and the treaty should be reviewed".
"We shall have to carry entire opposition along and ask for share of ours, the due of ours in a concerted manner," he said.
After hectic deliberations, the 'controversial' IWT was signed between India and Pakistan by the then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and then Pakistan President Air Field Marshal Ayub Khan on September 1960 in the Pakistan's port city, Karachi.
Replying a question about similarity in thought between the pro-freedom leaders and pro-India politicians with regard to IWT and the jolt to Kashmir economy because of the agreement, the minister said: "For the welfare of people of the Jammu and Kashmir, all the saner elements–irrespective of the fact whichever camps they belong to, whether secessionists or mainstream or even the gun-trotting Kashmiri youth, whosoever talks about the self-reliance of people of J&K is welcome".
About how hopeful he was that the IWT would be reviewed, he said: "It would be premature to say what will happen and what not. We would try to take people along to impress upon India to review the IWT and compensate the losses"
In the capacity of a senior leader of Peoples Democratic Party he said: "It is our concerted effort and we have taken it up at the highest level with the government of India. First of all we should be compensated for the losses incurred by the state. And then we also are of this opinion that Indus Waters Treaty should be reviewed".
We can't say the whole process will go in a straight line. It is a zigzag process. We have to ask for our due sand we have to project our concerns".
The Minister said the situation has changed and has changed for good, and it is changing for good. "May be that time the hostilities between the two countries were of the nature that such things were never taken care of and since a friendly atmosphere is coming up in the entire sub-continent we are hopeful of better results".
He said the IWT did not safeguard the interests of Jammu and Kashmir .
"I don't want to dig the graves but at the time when IWT was signed the interest of the state was not safe guarded," he said.
The Minister said that the general perception that J & K economy was in a shambles is not true. "We have certain commitments from the centre and I can assure you that we are heading towards better economy", Mr Qarra said, adding, that he would reorganize the department and will put system of monitoring in force. To boost the economic condition of the state he said the resource mobilization will be his priority.
Mr Tariq Hameed Qarra is the first Finance Minister of the State from the Srinagar city. A founder member of PDP, Mr Qarra was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the prestigious Batamalloo constituency of Srinagar in October 2004. Earlier, he was nominated by PDP as a member of the Legislative Council in February 2003. Born in 1955 at Batamalloo, Mr Karra did his LLb from the Kashmir University in 1979 and got involved in politics immediately after the completion of his studies. He joined the active politics in 1999 as a founder member of PDP.
Mr Qarra made his maiden entry into the State cabinet as the Minister for Housing and Urban Development and Forests in November 2005 and only after 10 months was entrusted with vital Finance, Planning & Development and Law & Parliamentary Affairs Departments in the council of ministers headed by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. |
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