‘India using Kabul River as weapon against Pakistan’

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said India is using water resources of Afghanistan as a weapon against Pakistan which should be countered.

India is supporting the construction of twelve dams in Afghanistan which will reduce the availability of water resulting in severe consequences to the masses agriculture and industry, it said. A water-sharing agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan has become imperative otherwise water issue can spark a war, said Chairman PEW Brig. (R) Muhammad Aslam Khan.

In a statement issued here on Sunday he said that India is employing everything in her power including water terrorism to destabilise Pakistan for which billions of dollars are being spent. He said that Pakistan is getting 25 million acre-foot water from River Kabul while India wants to reduce the water supply as much as possible to damage Pakistan.

Brig. Aslam said that Afghanistan has every right to use water for the welfare of the population as seventy-two percent of Kabul residents have no access to the clean water but Afghanistan has no right to become a destabilising tool for New Delhi.

The Kabul River and its tributaries provide an important source of livelihood for nearly 25 million people living around the basin and that population is expected to increase to 37 million by 2050, he said.

He noted that some of the opponents of Kalabagh Dam have shown some flexibility which is very heartening.