NEW DELHI, Sept 26 - �Blood and water cannot flow together,� Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today as he chaired a review meeting of 56-year-old Indus Water Treaty during which it was decided that India will �exploit to the maximum� the water of Pakistan-controlled rivers, including Jhelum, as per the water sharing pact.
Held amidst heightened tension between India and Pakistan, the meeting also decided to set up a inter- ministerial task forces to go into the details and working of the Treaty with a �sense of urgency�, senior government sources said.
Attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, the Water Resources Secretary, and senior PMO officials, the meeting also noted that the meeting of Indus Water Commission can �only take place in atmosphere free of terror�.
�Prime Minister Modi�s message at the meeting was that �rakt aur paani ek saath nahin beh sakta� (blood and water cannot flow together),� sources said.
Apart from deciding to exploit to the maximum the capacity of three of the rivers that are under Pakistan�s control - Indus, Chenab and Jhelum� in the areas of hydro power, irrigation and storage, the meeting also agreed to review the �unilateral suspension� of 1987 Tulbul navigation project. The project was suspended in 2007.
The sources asserted that the decision to maximise the water resources for irrigation will address the �pre-existing� sentiment of people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have complained in the past about the treaty not being fair to them. � PTI
