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| Those raising Indus Water Treaty issue are pushing BJP’s narrative says Mehbooba | | |  Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 13: A day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah highlighted constraints imposed on Jammu and Kashmir on harness its hydropower potentials due to the Indus Water Treaty, president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti cautioned against starting debate on “settled issues”. Joining the issue with the Chief Minister, the PDP president said that starting a debate on “settled issues” with Pakistan amounts to toeing the line of the BJP. Although successive governments in Jammu and Kashmir even the previous PDP-Congress regime from 2002 to 2008 had raised the issue of hardship faced by Jammu and Kashmir due to the Indus Water Treaty, Mehbooba Mufti argued that talking about this “Treaty” would give another issue to the BJP to exploit at the national level to reap political benefits.
Mehbooba Mufti warned against reopening settled issues, specifically the Indus Water Treaty, citing concerns it would create tension and benefit the BJP. This comes after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah stated that the treaty restricts Jammu and Kashmir's hydel power potential due to storage constraints.
The treaty, signed in 1960 by India and Pakistan, sets out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange on cross-border river usage in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite wars and tension, the treaty has remained in place.
Mehbooba emphasized Jammu and Kashmir's 75-year history of suffering, loss of life, and property destruction due to India-Pakistan tensions. She noted the treaty's limitations but cautioned against making it an issue, as it would only benefit the BJP.
Mehbooba criticized the Abdullahs for handing over Jammu and Kashmir's power projects to the NHPC. She demanded the return of at least two power projects or financial compensation from the Centre.
Instead of demanding the scrapping of the Indus Water Treaty, Mehbooba wanted the Centre to return power projects, as agreed upon in the PDP-BJP alliance agenda.
On Tuesday Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has underscored the need for addressing the constraints imposed by the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) on Jammu and Kashmir’s ability to harness its vast hydropower resources.
He explained that the Treaty, which governs the use of river waters between India and Pakistan, limits Jammu and Kashmir to run-of-the-river projects and restricts its capacity for water storage. This limitation, he noted, severely hampers power generation, especially in the winter months, resulting in energy shortfalls and hardships for residents. The Chief Minister, who also manages the Power portfolio, made these remarks at the Conference of Power Ministers of States and Union Territories held today in Delhi, which was chaired by Union Minister for Power, Manohar Lal. |
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