Pakistanis need to ask why their state enacted Pahalgam. ?
First Person
Let me make a confession at the very outset – I am in deep love with river Chenab and that too when it passes through Akhnoor 45 kms kilometres short before this river , moves into Pakistani Punjab , where it became an epitome of love of Sohni-Mahiwal. I have seen and drank its water since my early childhood, along with my mother who had come from what we call Pakistan now, in the aftermath of bloody Partition of 1947. She would often narrate her childhood experiences with the waters of the river. And her ashes were immersed in the same river. The river has cradled me like mother. I cannot separate it from my motherhood.
On Monday- May 5, 2025, I stood on the banks of the Chenab at Akhnoor. There was no river in sight. All I could see were dry stretches in the river bed, and long sunk boats had come out to show that they were source of transporting people at some point in time. And there was a muddy space-the people were taking selfies, while crossing from one end to the other of the dry river bed. They knew it is rarest of the rare moment in the centuries –old history of the river .It hadn’t happen ever before.
As I stood, as one in the crowd, gathered to watch the river running dry. Two thoughts crossed my mind – the desertification that we are courting by disrespecting the nature. On Monday, it was an artificially created situation – the sluice gates of Baglihar and Salal dams were shut for few hours, and the river ceased to exist. But this could be future scenario too, as we continue cutting trees, seeking to fulfil our limitless greed to occupy the river bed for constructing our residential and commercial structures. I was seeing death of the river that cradled me like mother.
Second thought went straight to the people of Pakistan , how they must be viewing and interpreting this stoppage of water to their land – fields and drinking water facilities .Their government has threatened that any disruption in the water flow of the rivers that come under Pakistan’s control as per Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 – Chenab being one of them – as an “act of war.” Are they seeing it like that, and if they happen, were looking it like that then they should have asked a simple question, why it happened, briefly though.
Pakistan leadership had reacted to India suspending the Treaty on April 23rd, a day after the macabre dance of death enacted by terrorists in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam on April 22nd. India had held the Treaty in abeyance while asking Pakistan to deliver by stopping cross-border terrorism into India for once and for all.
The whole world was condemning the terror attack in which 26 innocent lost their lives. Kashmir rose in unison against the massacre in meadow. Pakistan offered condolences and expressed concern over the incident.
Two words “terror” and “condemn” were omitted.
It was deliberate; Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar justified the expressions saying that they did not go beyond concern and condolences because they (barbaric killers of tourists and a local Kashmiri) could have been “freedom fighters.” This was an expression of patronage to perpetrators of the heinous act, but also encouragement to terrorists to go in for more killings under the camouflage of “freedom fighters.”
The people of Pakistan should have asked their leaders – military and civilian- why are they not coming clean on the terror attack in Pahalgam? And, why were they beating about bush. India had not stopped the waters of the rivers flowing to Pakistan since, 1960 when the Treaty came into being. The Pakistani leadership should have been honest in answering these questions.
India, of course, cannot allow spilling of the blood of Indians by terrorists and at the same time allow water to flow unhindered forever.
What happened on Monday was just a glimpse of things that can happen. It should be read as a message by Pakistani state. India, on its part , released the waters few hours late, , showing that it doesn’t mean any harm to the common people of Pakistan , but the state of Pakistan will have to stop terrorism to let the water flow .
