1.4.5. What are Indian Concerns in Recent Times?

♤ From the Indian point of view, the basic dissatisfaction with the treaty arises from the fact that it prevents the country from building any storage systems on the western rivers. Even though the treaty lays out that under certain exceptional circumstances storage systems can be built, the complaint raised by India is that Pakistan deliberately stops any such effort due to the political rivalry it shares with India.

♤ The Treaty has too many engineering provisions and gives Pakistan undue right to vet the designs of the Indian projects. India has been attempting to construct run of the river projects on the western rivers. Run-of-the-river projects are permitted by the Indus treaty within defined limits. But Pakistan wants no Indian works on the three “western rivers” and seeks international intercession by invoking the treaty’s dispute-settlement provisions. This has in effect to denied J&K the limited benefits permissible under the treaty, Pakistan wishes to further its strategy to foment discontent and violence there.

♤ Since the treaty’s conception in 1960, the two countries have been embroiled in conflicts over a number of projects including the Baglihar, the Kishenganga and Ratle (Chenab river) hydroelectric plants proposed by India on the west flowing rivers.