Water sharing is becoming yet another irritant in the Indo-Pak relationship with Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed’s rhetoric against India on the matter being seen as part of the Pakistani propaganda.
At a public rally, Saeed accused India of constructing illegal dams and diverting water from Pakistani rivers and went on to launch a movement against India. The fact that Saeed, who is seen as a proxy for the ISI, is now focusing on water issues is being seen as part and parcel of the Pakistani “propaganda”. The Pakistan government had started highlighting water as a major concern ahead of the foreign secretary level engagement and has since continued to do so. Sources said Pakistan is trying to deflect its own water problems and inter provincial water issues by creating the India bogey. Water is also seen as an emotive issue that can easily whip up anti-India sentiment.
Sources pointed out it is convenient to blame India when other factors are responsible for Pakistan’s water woes. It is also being seen as a ploy to get a larger share of the water. The steady rise in the Pakistani population, particularly in Punjab in Pakistan, increased use of water and intensive irrigation are being seen as reasons for Pakistan’s water woes. Also, data has shown that water volume in both the eastern and western rivers are fluctuating due to fluctuating snowmelt and rainfall. Only the Indus river has bucked the trend with water levels actually increasing.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Pak-takes-water-route-to-attack-India/articleshow/5665516.cms
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