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| India-Pakistan |
| India may dump Indus Water Treaty |
| 2002-05-23 |
| A threat to pull out of the Indus Water Treaty is one of the options that India is considering to force Pakistan's hand if General Pervez Musharraf refuses to stop cross-border terrorism. "I think the Indian government is keeping this option in reserve," says Brahma Chellaney, Research Professor, Centre for Policy Research. "It could be used in the next series of actions if the need arises." He feels India is taking its time because "scrapping the Indus Water Treaty is an option that has to be chiselled into a weapon to squeeze Pakistan". This article was originally carried in Hindustan Times back in January, in the wake of the Parliament attacks, and it's on their front page again today. I'd imagine there's a reason for that. Suman's discussed this idea already, probably to better effect than I could. It's not as "glorious" an option as war, but it probably wouldn't have nuclear consequences. Implementing it would give the jihadis something else to jump up and down and holler about, and they could pretend they were just like Iraq, with starving babies and everything. So that's lots of international pity points, which aren't convertible into currency, versus the fact that Pak's economy's already in the toidy. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |