Sindhi nationalists laugh off Modi’s threat

Reckon that India could only initiate a conflict over water at its own peril

HYDERABAD: For Sindhi nationalists, the Indus water issue is sacrosanct. They have a history of waging fierce political struggles against Punjab and the centre whenever there was any talk of constructing more dams over the river or renegotiating the water apportionment formula.

Their main grievance is that Sindh has been getting less than its allocated share of water, affecting optimal land cultivation in the province, leading to the erosion of the Indus Delta and seawater intrusion.



However, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeated a threat to make Pakistani rivers dry by diverting water to Indian states at a recent rally in Indian Punjab, they rejected the scary scenario that followed the ultimatum.

“Now every drop of this water [from Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers] will be stopped and I will give that to the farmers of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir,” Modi said in an icy warning. In another speech in September he tried to bully Pakistan by telling it that he would take away the water from River Indus, the largest of the six rivers which flow into Pakistan as well.

“Hilarious, hysterical and haughty!” is how many nationalist leaders, who are otherwise water-wary, have decribed Modi’s bluster.

“Frivolous!” remarked Abrar Qazi, president of the Awami Jamhoori Party. “Total rhetoric!”

Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party Chairman Dr Qadir Magsi reckoned that India could only initiate water wars at its own peril.

“This sort of narrative can be OK as a slogan, but practically only a fool -- not a leader -- can do anything which jeopardises a country’s internal stability.”

For Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz’s vice-president Dr Niaz Kalani, it would not make a difference if water from Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers is not given to Pakistan.



“The establishment in Punjab had sold these rivers to India over five decades ago,” he said.

On his part, Qaumi Awami Tehreek President Ayaz Latif Palijo avoided to simply shrug off Modi’s warnings. He called for taking up this act of warmongering at international forums -- including the United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Saarc.

“[The] QAT condemns [the] Indian threat. This is [issued] in utter disregard to [the] international agreements, the Indus Waters Treaty, and the savage threat to the very existence of 220 million Pakistanis.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 29^th, 2016.