New Delhi: Pakistani senator Syed Ali Zafar has urged the Shahbaz Sharif -led government to drop the “water bomb” by India when it suspended the Indus Water Treaty after the terrorist attack in Pahgam in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April.Addressing the Senate, the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senator highlighted that one in ten people are dependent on water from the Indus river system and warned that a large population can die of hunger if the crisis is not addressed.“If we no longer solve this water crisis, we can die of hunger. The reason is that the Indus basin is our lifeline. Our three-fourth of our water comes from outside the country. Out of every ten people, nine are living their lives on the basis of international border valleys, “Zafar said.
Voting
Should the international community interfere in resolving cross -border disputes?
“According to data, 90% of our crops depend on this water. All our power projects and dams are built on this water. So we should understand that it is like a water bomb hanging on us – we have to define it, we have to solve it,” he said.After the Pahgam terror attack, who claimed 26 lives, India announced several measures, in which to put the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) into an absence, to send a strong message to Pakistan on its support for cross-limit terrorism.India and Pakistan agreed to the immediate ceasefire after the Pahalgam attack and operation vermilion after across the border tension.While Pakistan accepted the ceasefire unconditional ceasefire, India has taken many punitive measures against its neighbor.The ceasefire was the result of a direct involvement between Indian and Pakistani officials, “no predecessor, no postcondition, and no link to other issues with Islamabad.Also read ‘Ties are made based on sensitivity to each other’s concerns’: Strong message for Turkey, China to support PakistanThe Indus Water Treaty allowed Pakistan to control water from three western rivers – Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – while giving India access to Eastern Rivers – Ravi, Sutlej and Beas.These water is important for Pakistan’s irrigation and drinking needs, causing about 80% of the country’s water supply.India’s decision to suspend the World Bank-supported IWT meant that the flow of water from the Western rivers and their tributaries were interrupted where India was controlled. Although the flow of natural channels continues, India’s move has affected the supply of drinking water in some parts of Pakistan amid scotching heat.Islamabad called the suspension of the treaty as a “war work”, while New Delhi said that IWT will suddenly remain until *”Pakistan crosses the border terrorism reliably and irreversibly.”
