The Indian government has not indicated any date for Indus Water Commissioners' promised visit to Pakistan to resolve the crucial issue of River Chenab water blockade in September 2008 that damaged cash Kharif crops of rice, cotton and sugarcane, official sources told Business Recorder here on Tuesday.
They apprehended that assurances given by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to President Asif Ali Zardar and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to remove Pakistan's concerns about violation of Indus Water Treaty and perpetual threats to the country's agriculture were delaying tactics and eyewash.
President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani had taken up the blockade of Chenab River water issue with the Indian Prime Minister in their two meetings with him in September in New York and in Beijing last month.
Pakistan Indus Water Commission says that India had violated the Indus Water Treaty by filling the Baglihar Dam, on river Chenab in Occupied Kashmir, in less than 10 days, instead of 60 to 70, causing water shortage in the river and badly damaging Pakistan's agriculture and industrial sectors.
Under the IWT, Pakistan has exclusive rights on the use of River Chenab water that irrigates ten million acres of arable land in the heartland of Punjab which is the food basket of the country.
Pakistan's Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah held meetings with his Indian counterpart in Delhi and physically inspected the dam. Yet the meeting remained inconclusive. However, the two sides agreed that Indian Water commissioner G Ranganathan would visit Marala headworks to verify water flow data and gigures presented by Pakistan to claim crops damage compensation from India.
According to water data provided by Pakistan to Indian Indus Water Commission, India had stolen and stored more than 2,00,000 cusecs water in the Baglihar dam in violation of the Indus Water Treaty, and caused losses of billions of rupees to Pakistan.
Pakistan Indus Water Commission sources told Business Recorder that despite urgency of the matter the Indian government has not so far indicated the date when the Indian Water Commissioner would visit Pakistan and hold talks to resolve the issue which is of utmost importance for the government and people of Pakistan.
Sources said that on the directions of President Zardari, the Water Commission has collected and verified daily River Chenab water flow data at Marala Headwarks during the period India withheld Pakistan's share of water in disregard of the Indus Water Treaty at the critical maturity period of Kharif crops.
They said if the Indian government did not indicate the date of Indian delegation's visit to Pakistan. President Asif Ali Zardari will write letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reminding him of the promise made by him to resolve the issue of reduced inflow of water in River Chenab at Marrala Headworks in accordance with the provisions of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty.
The President has also directed that this matter should also be raised at the appropriate international forums to draw attention of the world community to the issue and the need to resolve it amicably in accordance with the international treaty signed between the two countries. IWC sources said that Pakistan would vigorously pursue its case for compensation in the shape of losses caused by reduction in flow of water from India in Chenab and adopt a proactive approach to compel India to give Pakistan its rightful share of water.