Patna, April 29 CPI-ML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, on Tuesday, opposed the Central government's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the recent Pahalgam terror incident, saying that such a move would primarily hurt civilians and not terrorist groups.
"Stopping water will affect a huge population of Pakistan, not the terrorist forces we seek to counter," Bhattacharya said, emphasising that punitive action in the form of disrupting essential resources like water would fail to address the root of the problem like terrorism.
The Central government's proposed action comes in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which raised serious questions about intelligence and security lapses, he added.
Bhattacharya was vocal about the questions raised about intelligence and security lapses, saying, "The core question in the Pahalgam incident is an intelligence failure. Despite heavy military deployment across the Kashmir Valley, there was no presence at the site of the attack. The accused were reportedly active in the area for nearly two weeks -- where was our intelligence?"
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, was signed between India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan's President Ayub Khan.
The treaty allocates the use of six rivers: India retains control over Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, while Pakistan gets Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.
Since all six rivers originate in India and flow into Pakistan, the treaty has been a longstanding symbol of cooperation despite hostilities.
Legal experts have noted that any unilateral breach of the treaty could escalate to international legal proceedings, particularly in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
Bhattacharya acknowledged the treaty's legal complexity but urged restraint.
"Any action that affects civilians in either country is not the right solution. We need to address the core issue -- terrorism -- not divert focus through retaliatory policy decisions," he said while interacting with the media persons in Patna.
As public and political debate intensifies, Bhattacharya's remarks add a critical voice advocating for measured responses, transparency in national security, and prioritisation of human impact over symbolic retaliation.
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