India hints at review of 1960 Indus treaty

India on Thursday handed out a veiled threat —- without saying so openly —— that it could consider reviewing the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 in the wake of Pakistan using terrorism as an instrument of its state policy. This would mean that water could be the new weapon used by India in teaching a lesson to Pakistan if the latter did not mend its ways and stop carrying out terror attacks against India. Speculation was triggered in this regard after ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup, in response to a question, made it clear that “mutual trust and cooperation” was important for such a treaty to work. The treaty has held out despite the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan and also the 1999 Kargil conflict. This indicates that India may move beyond registrations of pro-test with Pakistan and cou-ld use water as a leveraging tool with Pakistan, large pa-rts of which may face dro-ught if denied the water of the Indus and other rivers in the region by India.

“For any such treaty to work, its important that there must be mutual cooperation and trust between both the sides. It cannot be a one-sided affair,” the MEA spokesperson said cryptically when asked if the government will rethink on the treaty given the growing strain between the two countries. He also noted that the preamble of the treaty itself said it was based on “goodwill”. Pressed further if India will scrap the treaty, he refused to elaborate and only noted that in diplomacy everything was not spelt out and that he has not said that the treaty was not working. However, sources pointed out that there were some differences over the implementation of the treaty between the two countries.

The assertion comes amid calls in India apparently by some foreign policy experts that the government should scrap the water distribution pact to mount pressure on Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack.

Under the treaty, which was signed by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan President Ayub Khan in 1960, water of six rivers — Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum — were to be shared between the two countries. Pakistan has been complaining of not receiving enough water and gone for international arbitration in a couple of cases.

The Indus system of rivers comprises three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej and their tributaries) and three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab and their tributaries). As per the Indus waters treaty signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, the waters of the eastern rivers were allocated to India which however, is under obligation to let flow the waters of the western rivers except for uses such as Domestic Use, non-consumptive use, agricultural use and generation of hydro-electric power.

According to the Indian Government, India has been permitted to construct storages of water on western rivers upto 3.6 million acre feet (MAF) for various purposes. No storage has been developed so far.

India has been permitted agricultural use of 7,01,000 acres over and above the irrigated cropped area (ICA) as on April 1, 1960, the date of implementation of the treaty, which makes the total ICA as 9,12,477 acres. India is under obligation to supply information of its storage and hydroelectric projects as specified. According to the Government, India also communicates as a gesture of goodwill, flood data to Pakistan from 1st July to 10th October every year, to enable them to undertake advance flood relief measures.