"The water of the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, over which our farmers have their right, is not available to them. The water of these rivers is the right of India and our farmers. This water cannot be allowed to flow into Pakistan," Modi told a public rally in Bhatinda, a town near the border with Pakistan.
Modi also had a piece of advice for the people of Pakistan.
"You must tell your government to fight corruption, black money and poverty instead of fighting with India. Our Army has already proved what India is capable of doing to you.
The World Bank-brokered Indus Water Treaty has withstood many ebbs and low of Indo-Pak ties including three wars and a skirmish. India now feels the treaty is lop-sided as it is allowed to use only 20 percent of the water that flows from the first three rivers of the Indus basin while water from the other three rivers allocated to India flows freely into Pakistan.
Pakistan has intermittently raised the bogey of India planning to cut water supply to Pakistan to create a drought and famine like situation. Despite this existential fear, the two sides have managed to avert a water war till date.
India had raked up the water-sharing quarrel after 18 Indian soldiers were killed in an attack allegedly by Pakistani terrorists.
Indian pm said that we will convert pakistan into desert. Pak is using our water,we will do water war with pak.
— Haris Nawaz Awan (@haris_mcm) November 25, 2016
I think he don't know us. pic.twitter.com/gnHsuz8P8a
In an ironical twist, Pakistan which had been complaining about an unfair water sharing arrangement, has warned against the use of water as an instrument of coercion or war. "The international community must assume a responsibility to develop, nurture and protect normative frameworks, at multilateral and bilateral levels, to ensure that states remain willing to resolve water issues cooperatively," Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN Maleeha Lodhi said in her address to the UN Security Council during an open debate on water, peace and security.
