Srinagar: Hitting out at Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah for his statement against Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the “settled issues between India and Pakistan should not be raked up just like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does”.
"We should talk sensibly and not rake up those issues which will create tension between India and Pakistan. If we rake up settled issues between India and Pakistan, then you are toeing up the BJP line," Mehbooba said in a statement while reacting to Omar's statement on IWT.
Speaking at the conference of Power Minister of States and UTs on Monday at India International Convention in New Delhi, Omar highlighted the “limiting” clauses in the Indus Waters Treaty he said, restricts Jammu & Kashmir from realising its full hydel potential by only permitting run-of-the-river projects.
"J&K pays a heavy price in peak winter months when power generation hits low, creating hardships for its people. Hydel power is J&K’s only viable energy source. The region is compelled to rely on power imports from other States, which adversely impacts its economy," Omar said.
Mehbooba accused the National Conference leadership of selling eight power projects to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
"We should also think that the power which we generate is ours. Sheikh Abdullah as chief minister gave Sallar power project and then Farooq Abdullah as chief minister gave seven power projects to NHPC," Mehbooba said.
She said that the government should pursue with the GoI for return of at least two power projects from NHPC or demand their compensation.
"Jammu and Kashmir is the only state which lives in darkness despite generating hydro-electricity, but BJP is promising in every state to give free electricity units yet we are living in darkness. The government should pursue the return of power projects as per the report of the Rangarajan Committee," she said.
Mehbooba said that the presently more tense relations between India and Pakistan have implications for the people of Jammu and Kashmir warning “if there is any tinkering with IWT, the people of Jammu and Kashmir will have to bear the brunt”.
"Instead of making Indus Waters Treaty an issue and creating more tensions between India and Pakistan, which BJP likes, we should not rake up settled issues between the two countries as the tense relations between the two countries proves costly for the people of Kashmir," she said.
MLA Handwara Sajad Lone, who is in the opposition, hit out at Omar for his "right wing gibberish".
"Music to ears of the ruling party at the centre is the criticism of the Indus Waters Treaty. Typical right-wing gibberish. And a recently elected CM is bending his back backwards to please the ruling party at the Centre. I personally do not subscribe to this treaty. It is unfair and signed by the then ruling party in India," Lone wrote on X.
"May I as a Kashmiri ask what have the previous ruling parties, especially NC, which has been in power for the longest time, done with our water resources," he said.
Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960 by India and Pakistan, and negotiated by the World Bank, is a pact which lays out a mechanism for cooperation and information exchange between the two neighbours on the use of waters of six cross-border rivers in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the IWT, the control of three rivers flowing through Jammu and Kashmir -- Jhelum, Indus and Chenab – has been given to Pakistan while India shall control rivers Beas, Ravi and Sutlej, all passing through Punjab as per the Indus Waters Treaty. The IWT lays that no big dams or power projects can be built by India on Jhelum, Indus or Chenab given the control over their waters with Pakistan.
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