In the aftermath of the Uri attacks a lot of column space has been devoted on whether India should abrogate the 56-year old Indus Water Treaty. Some have even raised concerns about the potential fallout from China if indeed India annuls the treaty, the possible impact on India’s revenue and the like. So as the Prime Minister gets set to review the treaty, it’s often being seen as Modi’s vehicle to reassert and re-establish his credibility and bring about a practical solution to end the scourge of Pakistan supported terror bouts on India.

As Government after Government has failed to bring about a reasonable and long lasting end to this proxy war that Pakistan continues, one fundamental fact is amply highlighted that peace through peace is an unlikely end of this problem. One might often wonder what’s the motivation that is driving these attacks from Pakistan? Let’s face it these terror strikes still remain a fairly inexpensive way for Pakistan to keep its significantly larger, economically stronger neighbour in tenterhooks and therefore the focus needs to be on to the roots of terrorism and not just combating military action. Is Pakistan paying sufficiently for the emotional and economic trauma it is unleashing on us?

Well this is exactly where the Indus Water Treaty comes to play

• Pakistan gets nearly 80% of the Indus water as part of the treaty
• The state of Jammu & Kashmir faces severe losses because of the treaty
• Only water treaty where the upper range states give in to the interests of the downstream region

While abrogating the treaty completely might not work in our favour and result in problems like flooding of our cities, India has to look at ways to restrict the freebies that Pakistan enjoyed thus far as a result of this another archaic Nehruvian Policy. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets down to the job of reviewing the pros and cons of the treaty, it’s high time that the country looked at ways to punish Pakistan strategically and economically for the heinous Uri attacks and many others thus far. An eye for an eye is what’s the need of the hour in this all out war and the only way to make Pakistan mend its ways.

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