5 INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD

5.1 Permanent Indus Commission

5.2 Miyar Project
5.3 Leave Pok Alone
5.4 China Makes Border Settlement
5.5 Reconciliation in Sri Lanka

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 INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD
5.1 PERMANENT INDUS COMMISSION
What is the issue?
India accepts Pakistans invitation to the next round of talks for the Permanent Indus Commission in
Lahore.
What are the provisions of IWT?
Under the treaty, India has full use of the three eastern rivers i.e Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, while Pakistan
has control over the three western rivers i.e Indus, Chenab, Jhelum.
India is given rights to use the western rivers partially for certain purposes.
The Permanent Indus Commission mandated to implement the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has met
every year, since 1960.
The commission has experts who look into issues and disputes on the ground over the utilisation of
the waters of six rivers of the Indus system.
What is the impact of the recent move?
Doubts had been raised over Indias commitment after the terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri.
In the days that followed, senior officials announced the suspension of talks until there was an
atmosphere free of terror.
Prime Minister also made an infamous remark of blood and water cannot go together .
The atmosphere was also charged after the surgical strikes along the Line of Control and subsequent
pulling out from the SAARC summit in Pakistan, leading to fears of a freeze in bilateral ties.

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But the current move is a welcome one, as it denotes Indias commitment to the treaty that has
stood the test of time and war.
It also displays Indias sincerity on the issue of water-sharing, given that the IWT is seen to be a
model in dispute management.
What are the other positive moves?
There has been a marked reduction in LoC firing.
They both exchanged the annual list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral agreement
that prohibits them from attacking each others atomic facilities.
There was a release of prisoners by both countries
India was part of the consensus to elect the Pakistani nominee as the SAARC Secretary-General.
It is premature to expect anything out of the current move.
However, they reaffirm the need to keep certain issues such as water-sharing above the politics
of the moment.
5.2 MIYAR PROJECT
Why in news?
India and Pakistan recently discussed hydroelectric projects and other such issues at the end of
two day talks of Indus
water commissioners in Islamabad.

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What
. is the issue with the Miyar project?
Discussions were held on Indias proposed Miyar, Lower Kalnai & PakalDul hydropower projects.
It also includes matters pertaining to exchange of data&conducting tours&meetings of Indus
Commission.
The Miyar Hydropower plant is located on MiyarNallah, a right bank tributary of Chenab River.
With the 120 MW-capacity it is located in Himachal Pradesh's LahaulSpiti district.
It is the run-of-the river project with a barrage type structure.
The design of the Miyar project was received by Pakistan from India in the year 2009.
Pakistan carried out a detailed review of the design following the guidelines mentioned in the treaty
and communicated its objections to India in the same year.
Pakistan had objected to the placement of spillway, magnitude of pondage, intake and freeboard.
Pakistan has proposed a surface gated free-overflow spillway design.
India agreed to change design of the project.
What are the other issues?
However, on 1,500 MW PakalDul Hydropower plant and 48 MW Lower Kalnai, both sides could
not come up with any kind of consensus.
PakalDul hydropower project was being constructed on the Marusadar River -a major right bank
tributary of the Chena River in the Indian held Kashmir.
It is concrete faced rock fill dam.
The reservoir will store water every year and release it in the winter season.

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Talking about the 48MW Lower Kalnai, the official said the project was being constructed by
India on the Lower Kalnai River, which was also a left bank tributary of the Chenab River.
Pakistan also raised its concern saying that there should be a mechanism of data exchange to
ensure that the reservoir was being filled as per guidelines.
Besides Miyar and Lower Kalnai, Pakistan has been flagging concerns over designs of India's
PakalDul (1000 MW), Ratle (850 MW) and Kishanganga (330 MW) hydropower projects, being
built or planned in the Indus river basin, contending these violate the treaty.

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 5.3 LEAVE POK ALONE
Why in news?
A Bill seeking to reserve seats in LokSabha and RajyaSabha for the people of Gilgit and Pakistan
Occupied Kashmir has been listed to be introduced in the Budget session.
What is POK?
Azad Kashmir is an autonomous administrative territory of Pakistan.
Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is the northernmost province of Pakistan.
They are together referred to by the United Nations and other international organisations as
"Pakistanadministered Kashmir".
How did the POK problem emerge?
The region under British control was divided into two parts.
It included areas directly administered by the UK called British India, and those ruled by
indigenous rulers under British paramountcy called the princely states.
During partition, the Indian Independence Act 1947, gave the princely states the options of joining
India or Pakistan or remaining independent.
Hari Singh, the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted his state to remain independent.
Western Jammu province wanted to join Pakistan.
So the city of Srinagar was attacked by Pakistani guerilla soldiers to liberate it.
To repel this, Raja Hari Singh of J&K sought the help of the Indian army by signing Instrument of
Accession.
This handed over the control of defence, external affairs and communications to the Government
of India in return for military aid.

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Both Indian and Pakistani armies
were mobilised.

Bothe gained control more or less

around what is now known as the
Line of Control.

India later approached the United

Nations, which mandated the
holding of a plebiscite with
regard to Kashmir's future.

This required the withdrawal of

the Pakistani Army along with
the non-state elements and the
subsequent partial withdrawal of
the Indian Army.

This never happened.

Since then, the issue of PoK has

become a much-debated topic.

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What is the stand of Pakistan regarding POK?
In the last several decades, Pakistan has not shown any interest in either peace talks with India or
engaging with separatist movements in PoK.
Earlier attempts by Prime Minister AtalBihari Vajpayee, who undertook the Samjhauta Bus journey
to Lahore ended up in the Kargil war.
The Simla Pact, Agra Agreement and Lahore Declaration all remained ineffective.

Is integration of PoK with India a permanent solution?

Merely acquiring 13,000 square kilometres of land and embracing all the violent after-effects, is
unlikely to bring a sensible solution.
India devotes about 35% of its annual budget to its defence and security. One of the main reasons
for this is the ongoing conflict along the Line of Control in Kashmir.
If India does indeed get PoK, this spending will increase in order to defend it.
There are no safeguards to ensure that such a move will translate into long-lasting peace.
Gaining possession of the disputed land will not ensure its inclusion in the development process.
Given the terror infrastructure ingrained in PoK and a section of its population being radicalised, it
is unlikely that India will be welcome.
If a move is made to occupy the disputed land, the flames of terror in the neighbourhood will not
only engulf PoK, but we may lose our side of Kashmir as well.
When we see the issue in its perspective on economic, social, political or technical lines, it becomes
more and more clear that the Kashmir issue will not be resolved even if we secure PoK.
Our focus should be on our side of Kashmir only and the well-being of its people.

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 5.4 CHINA MAKES BORDER SETTLEMENT
What is the news?
A Chinese special representative, in a recent interview, said if India would compromise on this
Arunachal Pradesh track, then Beijing would make similar compromises in the western sector.
What is the Chinese stand?
Referring specifically to Tawang, a town in
Arunachal, the representative said Tawang
is inalienable from China's Tibet in terms
of cultural background and administrative
jurisdiction.
He asserted that China was not a signatory
of the Simla Accord of June 3, 1914, which
established the McMahon line in the eastern sector.
China is of the view that even British respected
China`s jurisdiction over Tawang and admitted
that Tawang was part of China's Tibet.
It believes that the Simla Accord, as well as the
McMahon Line which it created, are not only
unfair and illegitimate, but also illegal and invalid.

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What is Indias position?
India said it was better to permanently close the boundary dialogue rather than Beijing raising the
issue of Tawang.
India also said it would assume that China was not interested in settling the Line of Actual Control
dispute if Tawang was ever brought to the table.
Given the importance of Tawang in the four Buddhist schools in Tibet, particularly the Gelug-pa
school to which the 14th Dalai Lama belongs, India would never give it up to China.
Further it will have to go through a constitutional amendment requiring the nod of two-thirds of
Parliament, which will be politically disastrous for the government that moves the proposal.
Why the Chinese stand is a concern?
After 1962 war, Chinese withdrew behind the McMahon demarcation in the eastern sector but stuck
to its positions in west.
So, further compromise would mean that the boundary would move from Kunlun to Karakoram
watershed.
The Chinese interlocutors during the border talks conveyed that India would have to make
concessions on both sides for a boundary settlement as by now the eastern sector had become
important for Beijing.
The fact is that the Chinese position on boundary resolution has been shifting depending on
Bejings strategic ambitions.
Beijing is also aggressive in its demands, be it on the One-China policy , the status of the Dalai
Lama, the South China Sea, MasoodAzhars designation as terrorist or membership of the UNSC.
The recent interview further deepens Indian suspicion about China as the latter refuses to budge
over any issue raised by India.

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 5.5 RECONCILIATION IN SRI LANKA

Why in news?
Recently the UN released a report on the progress of reconciliation efforts by the Sri Lankan
government.

What did the report say?

The UN warned that a range of serious abuses, including torture, still appear to remain widespread
in Sri Lanka.

The report said the prevailing culture of impunity for perpetrating torture has undoubtedly
contributed to this situation.

It acknowledged that the govt had made positive advances on constitutional and legal reforms,
land restitution and symbolic gestures towards reconciliation.

But it cautioned that the measures taken so far had been inadequate, lacked coordination and a
sense of urgency.

It urged the govt and people of Sri Lanka to prioritise justice alongside reconciliation to ensure that
the horrors of the past are firmly dealt with and never to recur again.

Report also made recommendations including urging the govt to prioritise the return of private
land that has been occupied by the military, adopt laws allowing the creation of a hybrid court and
invite the UN rights office to establish a presence in the country.

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Where did the present regime failed to act?

In 2015, when Sri Lanka agreed to a host of measures at the UNHRC, including a judicial
process to

look into the war crimes, hopes were high.

The present govt also came to power on a promise that he would restore the rule of law, end
the country's international isolation and take steps towards reconciliation with the Tamil
ethnic minority.

But, key issues such as establishing a hybrid judicial mechanism and returning the military-
occupied lands to Tamil civilians in the north and east still has made no tangible progress.

Issues such as continuing use of excessive force and arbitrary arrests suggest that the
government is either not serious in changing its way or is simply incapable of doing so.

The delay in providing relief is alienating the govts allies, eroding the faith of the public
and also giving more time to the opposition to regroup itself.

Thus, its time, the present govt seize the moment and swiftly start addressing the core
issues.

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