Pakistan will pine and thirst for water: Gadkari

Jaswant Singh Gandam/Raman Nehra
India Post News Service

PHAGWARA: Warning Pakistan that it will pine and thirst for water if it did not stop sponsoring cross-border terrorism, Union Water Resources minister Nitin Gadkari has argued that what was the meaning of continuing Indus Water Treaty if its spirit was not being honored by Pakistan.

Addressing a public meeting after laying foundation stone of Rs 165 crore 2.5 kms long elevated structure and vehicular underpass (VUP) over national highway1 here, Gadkari declared that he was warning Pakistan through media and the gathering that it should stop sponsoring terrorists, supporting terrorists organizations and sending terrorists into India, otherwise it will have to ’tadpana’ (pine and thirst) for water.

Gadkari said, “The Indus Water treaty was ratified in 1960 through Jawahar Lal Nehru -Ayub Khan pact. The spirit behind giving water to Pakistan was to build and uphold ‘Prem, Suharad, Parivarik sambandh’ (love, harmony and cordial family-like relations).But instead of these three sentiments and the guiding spirit behind the pact, we are getting ‘bomb-goley’ and our jawans are being killed. After all, there is limit to our restraint. If cross border terrorism and the support to terrorist bodies and terrorists by Pakistan were not to be stopped, then what was the ‘matlab’ (meaning) of the treaty and of giving water to Pakistan”?

Continuing, Gadkari declared that India will divert its share of water to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan by stopping its flow to Pakistan.