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WATER CONFLICT OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN: A CASE STUDY OF RIVER JHELUM |
International Journal of Policy Studies
International Journal of Policy Studies

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Volume

1

Issue

1

Year

2021

ARI Id

1682060069195_3104

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https://www.ijpstudies.com/index.php/ijps/article/download/14/3

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INTRODUCTION:

Since 1947, when Pakistan gained freedom from British rule the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan face many ups and downs. Both nations have had a tense relationship since their independence, and have had several conflicts of many kinds from border disputes to assets share, moreover water distribution conflicts. Since 1948, they've fought four major wars: 1947, 1965, 1971and 1999 Cargill war, and the latest 2019, (Banerjee, 2016).

Pakistan and India are direct neighbors with a shared history and culture; as a result, they should have the greatest connections, yet their relations have remained tense. Kashmir is a crucial issue between the two countries, and they have fought three major wars over it. Despite some significant and effective peace attempts, the primary issues in sustaining the sour tainted relationship remain. Pakistan has always been content to propose countermeasures, but India's response has been less than enthusiastic. After more than 74 years of independence, Pakistan and India are still unconcerned about long-standing concerns such as Kashmir and water. In South Asia, the two largest countries are responsible for peace and stability.

However, they have a history of working together to resolve problems through peaceful methods. After each big conflict, both countries had talks and negotiations, but no good or beneficial results were ever achieved. In reality, even in 2020, conflict along the line of control (LOC) occurs practically every day. Following the boundary dispute, India produced a slew of problems for Pakistan, including a water shortage. With the help of the World Bank, Pakistan and India reached an accord known as the Indus River Pact in 1960. However, India has never followed the treaty and has constantly caused problems. The slaughter of millions of Muslim, Hindu, and Sikhs crossing the border to live in either India or Pakistan, which began violently at the time of independence, was historically the source of conflict. Following the partition, both nations declared war on Kashmir, a large Muslim state ruled by Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947, causing future tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi (Nazir, 2018).

Between 1984 and 1997, Pakistan and India attempted but failed to reach an agreement on a number of topics, including the conflicts over Siachin, Sir Creek, and Tulbul or Wular. Because of years of mistrust, hatred, and animosity between the two countries, the delegates met, discussed, and produced contracts, but management approval was missing. Neither India nor Pakistan was willing to take the step of altering their prior stances and seeking a compromise or a different stance. Firearms continued to erupt, security forces continued to battle, fatigue and terrorism killed hundreds, and negotiators met daily, but no positive conversion occurred at the time, (Hussain, 2006).

The Cargill crisis in 1999 served as a wake-up call for the US, as Pakistan and India battled on the verge of nuclear war, which was only avoided by US involvement. Since then, the United States has been concerned about South Asia's volatile situation. The United States has persuaded Pakistan and India to meet at the negotiating table to discuss and resolve disputed issues, including the Kashmir problem, and there have been a series of negotiations and visits between Pakistan and India on both official and public levels at the request of the United States (Javaid, 2013).

 

WATER ISSUE BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN

In 1948, India closes off Pakistan's water supply, alarming the Pakistani populace, who saw a future in which India had total control of Jammu and Kashmir. This is shown not only at the start of the conflict in Kashmir, but also in the frequent and violent disputes over water resources, the distribution of conflicts, many border concerns, and claims of human rights violations. Much of the debate regarding India-Pakistan ties are contradictory, and it is frequently expressed in venomous language both inside and outside the government and the media, (Raghavan, 2013). Water is one of the most essential aspects of the current timetable, which is why we're starting with it. Water wars are likely to become more common in the future as the world's population grows and energy demand rises. As a result, numerous nations are attempting to retain control over various water reserves to ensure their security. India, as the higher riparian state, and Pakistan, as the lower riparian state, are always at odds over the Indus basin and water allocation. India is breaking the pact by building dams on Pakistan's due water share, causing Pakistan to face severe challenges, the most pressing of which is a power deficit. To satisfy its energy demands, Pakistan must reduce political tensions and begin the construction of hydroelectric power plants. Both countries should reach out to each other for amicable water solutions, especially because peace between India and Pakistan implies peace and calm in South Asia” (Barlow, 2009)

The lack of any institutional structure for addressing tensions and disputes is the primary cause for bilateral initiatives failing. The profound distrust between the two countries is the second factor. When the UN and bilateral channels fail, additional possibilities become available. Third-party mediation should be utilized to address significant difficulties in Pak-India relations since it has a track record of success. Indeed, in the current climate, the only viable alternative is third-party mediation, which not only has a track record of success but also can peacefully address Pak-India conflicts.

 

GEOGRAPHY OF RIVER JHELUM

The Jhelum River comes from a deep spring in Vernag, Jammu, and Kashmir union territory, in the Indian-controlled section of Kashmir. The river flows northwest from the Pir Panjal Range's northern side, through the Vale of Kashmir, and into Srinagar's Wullar Lake, which regulates its flow.

Jhelum River is a tributary of Chenab River and is about 774 kilometers long. Jhelum runs through Srinagar before entering Pakistan, and it originates in the south-eastern section of Kashmir valley, (Dawn news, 2021).

 

IMPORTANCE OF JHELUM RIVER

The Jhelum is a river that flows across Northern India and Eastern Pakistan. It flows into the Indus River as a tributary. On the banks of the river, Alexander the Great and King Porus of the Paurava kingdom fought the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BCE. The Greeks won, and huge swaths of Punjab were incorporated into the Alexandrian Empire, allowing Greek political and cultural influences to spread over the Indian subcontinent.

The Jhelum River is streaming out northwestern India and northern and eastern Pakistan. It connects the Indus River in eastern Pakistan with the westernmost of the five waterways in the Punjab region. The Indus River, also known as the Sengge Khabab or River from Lion's Mouth in Tibetan, begins its 3000-kilometer trip to the Arabian Sea at a height of 5500 meters on the Tibetan plateau, 40 kilometers north-east of Mount Kailash, where its headwaters are located. The origins of the powerful river were not documented for science until the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin ‘discovered' them in September 1907. The region surrounding Mount Kailash is also the beginning site of numerous other south Asian rivers. The rivers with the greatest ecological and cultural significance, The Brahmaputra, Sutlej, and Karnali are three rivers in India. The freshwater lake Manasarover, as well as the neighboring salty lake Rakshas Tal, are two of the region's most ecologically and culturally important lakes, (Habib, 2016).

The Jhelum River is a river that flows across northwest India and northern and eastern Pakistan. It is the westernmost of Punjab's five rivers that join the Indus in eastern Pakistan. The Jhelum runs westward and cuts through the Pir Panjal in a canyon that is nearly perpendicular on all sides, measuring 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) deep, the Muzaffarabad city is the administrative capital of Azad Kashmir, which is governed by Pakistan. The Jhelum River absorbs the Kishanganga River and then bends southward, constituting part of the boundary between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. After that, the river flows into Punjab province to the south. The Jhelum River flows across the Outer Himalayas near Mangla, forming wide alluvial plains. The river bends south to join the Chenab River near Trimmu, after turning southwestward through the Salt Range to Jhelum City. The Jhelum is approximately 450 kilometers long in all (725 km), (Hussain, 2016).

The Jhelum rises from a deep spring near Verinag, Jammu, and Kashmir State, in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region. The stream flows northwestward from the Pir Panjal Range's northern slope, across the Vale of Kashmir, and into Srinagar's Wullar Lake, which regulates its flow. The lake's surface is rising. The Jhelum River flows across the Outer Himalayas, forming vast alluvial plains. The river bends south to join the Chenab River near Trimmu, after turning southwestward through the Salt Range to Jhelum City. Water is a core human right since it is necessary for human survival, (Qureshi, 2017).

The Water’s Settlement, in a sense, put an end to the dispute, but Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent statements about obstructing the flow of water from India to Pakistan have rekindled it. India is also working on the Kishan Ganga and Ratle Dams on the Jhelum and Chenab rivers, respectively, and has completed the Baglehar Dam on the Chenab Stream. The construction of these dams is causing serious concern in Pakistan. The implications of India's dam construction, its attempt to disavow or amend the terms of the Indus Waters Arrangement, and its threats to Pakistan's square waterways will also be discussed in the first section of this document. The next section will include the translations and locations of worldwide programs and declarations that see "access to water" as a fundamental human right, the World Bank's role as a "middle man" between India and Pakistan in resolving the water dispute and at the time of the subcontinent's division. Following allocation, India abruptly halted all stream water flow to Pakistan, undermining Pakistan's horticultural and agricultural framework, since it was heavily reliant on waterway water for its water system. As a result, Pakistan went toward the universal network, which, in the long run, after a period of strained ties between India and Pakistan, proved beneficial (Kenneth, 2020).

The World Bank has taken on the honorable task of mediating between India and Pakistan over the allocation and circulation of stream water between the two countries. The Indus Waters Settlement was signed in 1960 by the two countries' leaders, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani Field Marshal Ayub Khan, thanks to the World Bank's assistance. The eastern rivers, such as the Ravi, Sutlej, and Inclination, were given to India, while the western streams, such as the Sindh, Chenab, and Jhelum, and were given to Pakistan. The two nations were also granted the privilege of restricting their use of water from each other's streams for domestic purposes, such as power generation, agrarian, and other non-immoderate uses; however, such use could not reduce the amount of water in the other nation's waterway or disrupt its normal flow. Because of this, the water battle was planned until 1999, when India reported on the building of the Baglehar Dam on the Chenab Stream and completely ignored Pakistan's concerns about the dam's structure. According to Pakistani government authorities, the dam's design may have an impact on the volume of water in the Chenab Stream. Meetings of the Lasting Indus Commission, a commission made up of people from both countries who meet to discuss concerns. However, no agreement was achieved, and Pakistan eventually had to rely on the judgment of the World Bank's impartial master, whose most recent decision did not prevent the project from being built.

 

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS & DECLARATIONS ON “ACCESS TO WATER” AS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT:

There are a variety of internationally recognized revelations, shows, and goals that highlight the necessity of having access to water for everyone living in every community or state. Some of these presentations specifically mention the need for the "choice to get to the water," in addition to other necessities of existence, while others prominently showcase it. Currently, the United Nations has served as a fundamental global organization, providing a platform for the global network to present shows. The amazing provisos that discuss this important human right are listed here.

The Sanction of the Assembled Countries: The Sanction of the Assembled Countries contains basic goals for human progress. Article 55.

Better living expectations, full-time employment, and financial and social growth and improvement.

Human rights and central opportunities are universally respected and recognized, regardless of color, gender, language, or religion.

The need is to ensure all of the necessary daily environments for achieving the aforementioned goals of human advancement, and these conditions must include access to water for essential life sustenance because access to water is the most important requirement for life's survival, as well as human advancement. Climate change, population growth, and conflicts between upper and lower riparian nations over the circulation of water resources, on the other hand, are some of the most visible challenges of our day that might stymie progress toward human development goals (Qureshi, 2017).

 

A PROPOSED STRATEGY FOR PAKISTAN AND ITS POSITION:

Pakistan should assist the World Bank's special envoy and demonstrate its ability to communicate with India. This will portray a peaceful and good image of Pakistan. Pakistan should formally notify the World Bank of any human rights violations that may arise as a result of India's dam-building and water-blocking efforts in the western rivers. So they can pick an unbiased master or refer the dispute to the Court of Intervention, which will decide it according to the IWT's criteria at a suitable location. Demonstrations of human rights violations should now be done under the UN sanctions on human rights violations. Furthermore, Pakistan should exert pressure on the entire Agrarian region of 2,000,000 acres that will be legitimately influenced by India's dangerous lead; these direct recalls the construction of dams for the Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus waterways, as well as the ebb and flow work being done in the Ratle, Wuller, and Sialkot ventures. These efforts may have an impact on the Jhelum and Chenab rivers' water flow. Pakistan should emphasize the need of halting or at the very least altering these operations so that impacted streams may now provide sufficient amounts of water to Pakistanis for drinking, domestic, and water system uses. Pakistan should also express its fear of violations of human rights and international law resulting from the disavowal or abrogation of the IWT. The Nation should emphasize that the repudiation of the agreement could result in yet another and potentially much more serious, the conflict between India and Pakistan. The terrible intensity of the dispute that would arise may create warlike conditions with negative consequences for the South Asian region, especially given the fact that both countries have nuclear weapons (Kenneth, 2020).

 

HYDRO-ELECTRIC PROJECTS ON RIVER JEHLUM:

Many hydroelectric and other dam projects are being constructed or built on the river Jhelum and its tributaries, some of which are listed here.

 

 

S.#

PROJECT NAME

PRODUCTIVITY OF POWER

 

1

New Gandherbal Hydroelectric project

93 MW

2

Gandherbal Hydroelectric project

15 MW

3

Upper Sindh I Hydroelectric project (SUNBUL)

22.6 MW

4

Upper Sindh II Hydroelectric project (KANGAN)

105 MW

5

Lower Jhelum Hydroelectric project

105 MW

6

Krnah Hydroelectric project

12 MW

7

 Mohra Hydroelectric project

9 MW

8

Pahlgam Hydroelectric project

4.5 MW

They all are producing a minimum of 366.1 Megawatts of electricity (Nazir, 2018) and serving, some further electric power projects are underworking.

 

CONSTRUCTION OF WULLAR BARRAGE:

India's construction of the Wullar Barrage on the River Jhelum in 1985 sparked debate between the two countries. According to Pakistan, India is violating the Indus Water Treaty by storing Jhelum water that was allotted to Pakistan (1960). In any case, India said that the flood was being created for hydroelectric power generation purposes and that the flow of water to Pakistan would not be hindered as a result. After several rounds of negotiations, the two countries agreed on precise terms that would allow India to produce the Jhelum torrent, (Banerjee, 2016).

 

CONCLUSION:

The history of mistrust, ideological disagreements, and ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India has shaped their relationship. The benefits of collaboration in every facet of relations have been obscured by strained political and strategic ties. Since the beginning, there hasn't been a constructive, result-oriented interaction between the two countries. Economic cooperation's potential remained untapped, but the two people's broad-based growth suffered as well. Being the two largest regional powers in South Asia, both governments could contribute to the region's socio-economic growth, but the region's potential development and advancement were stunted by any extent of their concern for one another is best demonstrated by the highly athletic cricket world cup matches between India and Pakistan.

For the inhabitants of both countries, these matches are more akin to small-scale warfare. Youths in these countries have begun to follow in the footsteps of their powerful leaders, volunteering to help bring their countries and people closer together. Even yet, there have been instances where the two have had disagreements. India has valid grounds to be pessimistic about the Indus Water Treaty; the agreement grants India only 20% of the water streams in the Indus River Basin, and New Delhi recognizes that it has gotten the worst of the deal.

Similarly, India's capacity to develop hydro-reaches in Kashmir is limited by the Indus Water Settlement's game plans. These are important concerns in a country with its high-water pressure. According to a study published in the New Yorker, India has 20% of the world's population but just 4% of its water. More than 300 million Indians, as one might assume, lack access to safe drinking water. True dry seasons have exacerbated an unpleasant farmer implosion battle that has claimed the lives of an incredible 300,000 people in the last 20 years. Furthermore, India is utilizing more groundwater than any other country in the world, which is an ominous sign of what the future may bring. This is to say that India has a strong argument for renegotiating the deal. That would be a more prudent approach than simply condemning it. India's choice to maintain the Water Treaty in place should be respected. Its revocation may have devastating implications for Pakistan, particularly for ordinary Pakistanis, as well as negative ramifications for India, with ties between the two countries on the verge of becoming a war.

Both nations must resolve water concerns as well as Kashmir issues to maintain stability in the South Asian area. If all of the issues between Pakistan and India are resolved, South Asia will be a place of peace, stability, and propriety.

 

References:

Banerjee, Soumi, (January 2016), the History of Perpetual War: Indo-Pak Relations, Parampara Prakashan: India.

Barlow, M. (2009). Blue covenant: The global water crisis and the coming battle for the right to water. McClelland & Stewart.

Habib, Mehjabeen Abidi, Garstang, Richard and Khan, Rina Saeed, (2016), Water in the Wilderness: Life in the Coast, Deserts and Mountains of Pakistan, Oxford University Press: Karachi.

https://www.dawn.com/news/492660/geography-the-rivers-of-pakistan,1-8-2021

Hussain, J. (2006). Kargil: what might have happened? Dawn

Javaid, J. (2012). Peace building in South Asia: Limitations and Prospectus. Lahore, University of the Punjab.

Nazir, Abuwaqas Abid, (2018), Pakistan, Water and Dispute of Kashmir, Dar-ul-Andlus: Karachi.

Pletcher, Kenneth, https://www.britannica.com/place/Jhelum-River, retrieved on 16-03-2020 at 3:08 p.m.

Qureshi, Waseem Ahmad, (June 2017), Water as A Human Right: A Case Study of Pakistan-India Water Conflict, Penn State Journal Of Law & International Affairs, Vol-5, Issue-2.

Raghavan, P. (2013). The Finality of Partition: Bilateral Relations between India and Pakistan, 1947- 1957 (Doctoral dissertation, University of

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