Many commentators have termed Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) India signed with Pakistan on September 19, 1960, as sixth blunder committed by Nehru. This 6th blunder continues to haunt us to this day, 64 years after it was signed by him to placate Pakistan and make undue concessions where none should have been given.
On November 30, 1960, a little more than two months after the Treaty was signed by Nehru, there was a debate in Parliament on the issue. Late Atal Behari Vajpayee, a young MP from Balrampur then, warned that Nehru has bartered away Indian interests for chasing a chimera called peace with Pakistan. He said the Treaty was against India and Nehru has conceded too much (anuchit keemat) to Pakistan.
Even after giving too much and sacrificing rights of India, there was no guarantee that Pakistan will be friendly towards India, Vajpayee had then cautioned. Conceding too much of water in perpetuity to Pakistan during negotiations, many important points like money that was due from Pakistan on account of water usage were pushed aside as Nehru gave these directions to the Indian negotiating team. This did not help the Indian side as the then PM had falsely put hopes of reaching permanent peace with Pakistan after this.
Vajpayee warned that Pakistan President Ayub Khan was interpreting IWT in a manner that will create many problems for India in future too. He pointed out, quoting Ayub Khan verbatim, : “By accepting the procedure for joint inspection of the river courses, India has, by implication, conceded the principle of joint control extending to the upper region of Chenab and Jhelum, and joint control comprehends joint possession’.
Nehru’s assertion in the Lok Sabha on 30 November 1960 that “we purchased a settlement, if you like; we purchased peace to that extent and it is good for both countries”, was not borne out by the subsequent events. Members of Parliament belonging to both the Congress, Praja Socialist Party (PSP) and Jana Sangh pointed to the glaring mistakes committed in conclusion of this Treaty.
Congress MPs from Punjab and Rajasthan, Iqbal Singh and H.C. Mathur called the Treaty disadvantageous to India stating that both their home states “had been badly let down”. Ashok Guha, another Congress MP, lamented that “interests of India had been sacrificed to placate Pakistan’’. Ashok Mehta, leader of the PSP in the Lok Sabha, described it as a “peculiar Treaty under which Pakistan, already a surplus area, would be unable to make full use of her share of the Indus Water and would have to allow it to flow into the sea. On the contrary, India after the fullest development of the water resources, would still be short of supplies, Mehta pointed out.
Nehru’s efforts of creating goodwill and understanding with Pakistan by giving concessions through this Treaty did not bear fruit. That Nehru himself had realised this soon after, is confirmed by N.D. Gulhati, who led the Indian delegation during the negotiations over Indus. Gulhati recalls: “When I called on the Prime Minister on 28th February 1961, my last day in office, in a sad tone he said, ‘Gulhati, I had hoped that this agreement would open the way to settlement on other problems, but we are where we were“. Clearly, Jawaharlal Nehru had committed a blunder—his sixth on J&K.
Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah had recently spoke of the ill-effects of the Treaty. Earlier also, on August 23, 2014, Omar had said that the “losses caused to the state on account of Indus Water Treaty are enormous.” He said “due to this Treaty, J&K cannot utilize its water resources to its will for generating hydro power, irrigating agriculture fields and providing drinking water to the people.”
He also mentioned the hurdle caused by the IWT in launch of the huge water supply project for Greater Jammu to utilize Chenab water to meet the requirements of the people for next 25 years. On November 30, 1960, during the debate in Parliament, a member Harish Chandra Mathur had flagged this issue of giving up claim on the Chenab waters. He said he would like PM Nehru to explain as to why India has given up its claim for utilising five million acre feet (5 MAF) of Chenab waters. The PM sidestepped the question by saying he was pressed for time as he was to accompany the Crown Prince to an engagement.
Mathur said: What goodwill has come out of the friendship we have generated? Immediately after this Treaty was signed, we find the President of Pakistan talking about taking physical possession of the upper reaches of these rivers (read Jammu & Kashmir). It is most disappointing. I could have understood all these sacrifices if we had through this Treaty, solved the Kashmir problem. The only trouble about Kashmir was because the rivers flow from Kashmir and through this country.
At one point in the debate, Nehru said: On no account do I consider it proper for me or for any Central government to proceed in a matter of this kind without reference to the State concerned. However, all available records show that the government of J&K was not taken on board when all the three rivers that flow through it were being given in perpetuity to Pakistan.
Thus, while Nehru believed that the IWT was “a good thing for the country” it has actually become a blinder. What Nehru signed was a Treaty of a suicidal trap from which Indians are unable to escape even now.
