New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helping gesture towards Pakistan via sharing of waterways could be witness a complete U-turn after the diplomatic relations between the South Asian neighbours fell to an all-time low courtesy Pakistan-based militant outfits carrying out a series of heinous terror attacks on Indian Army and Paramilitary troops in the Kashmir valley last year.
The major hydropower projects in Kashmir which have been awaiting clearances for over a decade have been swiftly approved. The approvals for projects worth Rs 1,500 crores have been fast-tracked by the Indian govt as a tactical move to cripple Pakistan of the Indus waters which flow through the region.
Ignoring the warnings from Pakistani government, who claimed that power stations on rivers flowing through Pakistan will disrupt water supply. This is a serious concern for Pakistan as water supply to the nation has been fluctuating due to an increase in population, and, traditional farming practices.
As reported by Reuters, a top-ranked official in power ministry, Pradeep Kumar Pujari said that, “I say the way you look at these projects, it is not purely a hydro project. Broaden it to a strategic water management, border management problem, and then you put in money.” The projects that have won technical approvals in recent months are Sawalkote, Kwar, Pakal Dul, Bursar and Kirthai I and II.
Pakistan earlier had opposed to some of these projects saying that India will violate World Bank treaty on sharing of Indus river.
