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Chenab water blocking may hurt ties, says Zardari

13 October, 2008

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ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday Pakistan would raise the issue of India’s move to block Chenab’s water, adding that it could harm confidence-building efforts between the two countries.

“Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured me in our meeting in New York that his country was seriously committed to our water-sharing treaty. We expect him to stand by his commitment,” President Zardari said in a statement.

He said Pakistan expected India to abide by international agreements. “Pakistan would be paying a very high price for India’s move to block Pakistan’s water supply from the Chenab river,” he said.

Pointing to the ramifications of the violation of the Indus Water Treaty, President Zardari said the Indian move would damage ties the two countries had built over the years. “India should not trade-off important regional objectives for short-term domestic goals,” he added.

“Pakistani officials would be taking up the matter with the Indian officials,” he said.

President Zardari said Pakistan and India should reap the benefits of shared border, rather than allow that to become a burden for the two nations. “Our two governments would be obliging to public sentiments if they move to strengthen the bilateral ties,” he said.

“However, our national interests are equally important and our government is committed to protecting them. We hope that the Indian prime minister would remember agreements on the judicious sharing of the Chenab waters and New Delhi would look to better relations with Pakistan,” he hoped.

End.

Reader Comments:

Indus water treaty

Pandit Jwaharlal Nehru of India and President Ayub Khan of Pakistan signed Indus water treaty in Karachi on September 19, 1960 as internationally recognized and guarranteed agreement of sharing water of indus basin between two neighbouring countries.

According to the signed agreement, Pakistan got the water of three western rivers i.e Indus, Jehlum and Chenab to its share. India got the water of three eastern rivers i.e Ravi, Satluj and Beas to its share.

So, depriving water of Chenab river to Pakistan is clear violation of the treaty that the world bank also has its signatory suport too.

I remember i had just joined my college in Pakistan that we saw Ayub Khan going from city to city with his entire cabinet in a special presidential train to explain and congratulate Pak nation on the treaty.Nehru was doing similar celebration in India.

This Indus basin water sharing treaty was actually initiated by Pak president Iskander Mirza and Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957, when there was historic and amicable social get together of the two leaders on the side line of the 1957 Commonwealth Conference in London England.Pak president Iskander Mirza had invited Mr Nehru to watch together with him a grand Pakistani musical of Noor Jehan that was the film Intezar, which was released a year earlier on Eid in 1956.The air of Pakistan was very thick and sweet those days with each and every sweet song of Noor Jehan in Intezar.Iskander Mirza came back from the conference and was asked about his sideline meeting with Nehru in London.Iskander Mirza told Paks that Mr Nehru told him that never before in his life had a sweet voice as that of Noor Jehan in Intezar entered his ears.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT INTEZAR DIPLOMACY HAD KICKED IN VERY POWERFULLY IN SOUTH ASIA.ALL BANS ON PAK FILMS WERE FINISHED AND INTEZAR FILM WAS IMPORTED TO BE RELEASED ALL OVER INDIA.THERE WAS A VERY PLEASANT THAW IN THE RELATIONS OF BOTH COUNTRIES. BORDERS WERE OPENED UP AND PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED TO VISIT THE NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY.THE EXCHANGE OF VISITORS WAS ON BIG SCALE AND MY FATHER ALSO WENT TO MEET HIS FRIENDS OF PRE-PARTITION OF 1947 AS MY FATHER WENT TO DELHI AND PUNJAB.

I REMEMBER THAT ON HIS RETURN, AFTER MEETING HIS OLD FRIENDS WHO HAD MIGRATED FROM PUNJAB TO INDIA,HE BROUGHT GIFTS FROM INDIA. ALSO WITH HIM WAS A COPY OF RIASAT NEWSPAPER FROM INDIA.TO MY VERY GLEE, THE WHOLE BIG PAGE OF THE PAPER HAD AD OF INTEZAR FILM WITH WORDS AS SUCH:

"WOH GEET JO AAJ TAK AAP NE NAHIN SUNAY.
WOH NAGHME JO NOOR JEHAN NE AAJ TAK NAHIN GAEY."

AD OF INTEZAR IN RIASAT DOMINATED THE WHOLE FILMS SECTION WITH VERY SMALL SPACE DEDICATED TO ADS OF INDIAN FILMS.

THEN, THREE YEARS OF VERY AMICABLE RELATIONS BETWEEN INDIA OF PAKISTAN COUPLED WITH EVEN MORE FRIENDLY NEGOTIATIONS AND DIALOGUES CULMINATED IN THE SIGNING OF THE TREATY IN SEPTEMBER 1960.THERE WAS ALSO MADE A GOOD SHOT ON SOLVING KASHMIR ISSUE, BUT NEHRU UNTIMELY DEATH MADE KASHMIR SOLUTION FALL SHORT OF SIMILAR DEAL AS INDUS WATER TREATY.THE FIRST INITIAL OFFER BY NEHRU ON KASHMIR WAS AS SUCH:

"CONFEDERATION OF KASHMIR WITH PAKISTAN, CONFEDERATION OF KASHMIR WITH INDIA AND TOTL AND COMPLETE AND THOROUGH AUTONOMY FOR KASHMIR AS WHOLE UNIT.BUT, NEHRU DIED IN 1964 AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE TWO MAIN ISSUES, I.E INDUS WATER SHARING TREATY WAS SIGNED DUE TO INTEZAR DIPLOMACY AND MAINLY BY THE GRANDEST VOICE EVER OF NOOR JEHAN.PRESIDENT ISKANDER MIRZA HAD ALSO GIVEN COPIES OF INTEZAR FILM TO SHAH OF IRAN AND THE PRESIDENT OF TURKEY AND HE STARTED PRESIDENT FILM AWARDS WITH THE FIRST EVER PERFECT 10 OUT OF TEN SCORE WINNING PRESIDENT AWARD TO FILM INTEZAR.ACTUALLY, INDIA'S MOST CELEBRATED SONGSTRESS LATA MANGESHKER ALSO STATED THAT NEVER IN HER LIFE SHE WILL BE ABLE TO SING LIKE NOOR JEHAN IN INTEZAR.

SO, NOOR JEHAN'S VOICE DID BETTER SERVICE TO PEACE AND SIGNING OF INDUS WATER TREATY THAN ANY POLITICIAN OR MILITARY LEADERS COULD EVER ACCOMPLISH.

IN 2004-2005, I HAD SOME INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS OF SINIFICANCE.MY GAS ENGINEERING TECHNICAL PAPERS WERE PUBLISHED IN THE ANNUAL INTERNAIONAL CONFERENCES OF AMERICA'S AND THE WORLD'S LEADING PLACES LIKE LAWRENCE REID GAS CONDITIONING IN OLKLAHOMA, GAS PROCESSORS OF AMERICA, NACE, KYOTO AND EVEN IN US MILITARY PUBLICATIONS.BUT, AS MUCH GREAT WAS THAT I ALSO SENT ARTICLE ON INTEZAR AND NOOR JEHAN'S VOICE IN INTEZAR ,AND THEY WERE PUBLISHED IN AN INTERNATIONAL FILM FARE IN LONDON. ALSO, THE BRITISH MUSEUM OF FILM, THEATER, TELEVISION AND ART SAVED THIS ARTICLE OF MINE. THE SAME ARTICLE OF MINE WAS TAKEN FROM THE BRITISH PUBLICATION INTO INDIA'S HAMARA FORUM WITH ALL TYPES OF PRAISE OF MY ARTICLE AND CONTINUED DISCUSSION THERE ON INDIA'S HAMARA FORUM, WHICH WENT ON SEVERAL PAGES OVER 2-3 YEARS.

AND NOOR JEHAN'S EXTOLLING BY ME IN BRITISH PUBLICATIONS TAKEN ON TO INDIA'S HAMARA FORUM DISCUSSION COVERED MORE SPACE THAN THEY EVER GAVE TO ANY INDIAN FILM OR VOICE.


Anwar Mahmood, Canada - 14 October, 2008

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