Indus Water Treaty: A Geo Political Study THESIS Submitted to the University of Kashmir for the Award of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In HISTORY By Raja Nazakat Ali Under the Joint Supervision of Prof. G.M. Khawaja Prof. Gulshan Majeed UNESCO Madanjeet Singh INSTITUTE OF KASHMIR STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR HAZRATBAL, SRINAGAR-190006 NAAC- Accredited Grade “A” 2013 INSTITUTE OF KASHMIR STUDIES University of Kashmir HAZRATBAL, Srinagar–190006 NAAC Accredited Grade “A” Certificate Certified that the present research work entitled Indus Water Treaty: A Geo Political Study, submitted by Raja Nazakat Ali through the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies (UMIKS) for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the discipline of History is an original piece of research work. This research work has not been submitted fully or partially elsewhere for the award of any other degree to the best of our knowledge. We recommend that the thesis be placed before the examiners for evaluation for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Supervisiors Prof. G.M.Khawaja Prof. Gulshan Majeed (Supersisor) (Co-supersisor) Prof. Gull Mohd Wani Director DECLARATION I, Raja Nazakat Ali hereby declare that the thesis entitled Indus Water Treaty: A Geo Political Study is submitted to the University of Kashmir through the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies in partial requirement for the award of Ph.D degree. It is genuine piece of research work conducted under the supervision of Prof. G. M. Khawaja and Prof. Gulshan Majeed. This work does not contain any piracy and has not been submitted to any other institution for any other course/degree. Raja Nazakat Ali Dedicated to My Parents for their Love Acknowledgements All Praises be to Allah, The Most Compassionate and The Most Merciful. On the completion of this research work, it gives me immense pleasure to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have helped and encouraged me all the way throughout the course of this research work. First and foremost I want to thank my supervisors Professor Gulshan Majeed and Professor G. M. Khawaja whose constant guidance and valued support enabled me to complete this work. This work would not have been completed without their encouragement and support. I am very thankful for their valuable guidelines, support and timely suggestions propel my work. The gratitude I owe to them is deep and sincere. I am sincerely thankful to the Vice Chancellor, University of Kashmir, Prof. Talat Ahmad for the interest and concern has shown for my work; I can never forget the his words of encouragement and support. My thanks are also due to Prof. Gul Mohd Wani, Director UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies (UMIKS) for the pains he took to help me to complete the thesis in time. It is a pleasure to pay tribute to Madanjeet Singh (April 16, 1924-January 6, 2013) who provided me the opportunity and material means to full fill my academic dream in Kashmir through the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institute of Kashmir Studies (UMIKS). I am very thankful to the South Asia Foundation (SAF) for giving me a scholarship which made me enable to fulfill my research needs. I express my gratitude to Professor Riyaz Punjabi, former Director of the UMIKS. His care and support enabled me to complete this work.I must appreciate the guidelines and encouragements shown by Professor Muhammad Ashraf Wani, (Dean Faculty of Social Sciences) and Professor Shakil Ramshoo, in carrying out my research work. My special thanks go to my teachers Prof. Muhammad Ashraf Qureshi (d. February 2, 2012) and Prof. Muhammad Yousuf Bukhari, Prof. Nusrat Nisar, Prof. Khawaja Shakeel Ahmad, Dr. Khawaja Zahid Aziz, Dr. Syed Ali Raza and Dr. Asghar Iqbal for their valuable input, support and encouragement. I would like to thank my friends, Mr. Rafiq Ahmad Jaral and M. Sabir Thakar, who lent themselves freely for me in the completion of this work. Credit is due to my friends Mr. Passang Sherpa, Mr. Parsad Dharmasena, and Mr. Saifullah Reshi, Mr. Mahmood-UL-Hassan Wani, Mr. Khursheed Ahmed Wani, Mr. Sameer Ahmed Bhat, Ms. Nadia Mehar Din, Ms. Sanjeevi Manthrirathne, Ms. Sakeena Rathar, Ms. Mudasir Amin, Mr. Javid Ahmed, Mr. Gaurav Bhattarai and Mr. Khan Touseef Osman. I am thankful to Mr. Parvez Ahmed Pala, Mr. Arshad Hussain Bhat, Mr, Sajad Ahmed Wani, Mr. Asif Ahmed, Mr. Alson Rasool, and Mr. Sajad Ahmed Padar, for their timely support and also for making my stay in the hostel comfortable. I am thankful to my roommates Mr. Riyaz Ahmed Mir and Mr. Zahoor Ahmed Itoo for their valuable support. I should be falling in my duty if I do not mention the necessary guidance, help and encouragement provided to me by the members and staff members of Gani Kashmiri Research Scholars Inn. Mr. Javeed Ahmed deserves my sincere thanks too, for moral support where I needed. I am highly thankful to the staff members of Alama Iqbal Library, University of Kashmir and other departmental libraries of, UMIKS, History, Political Science, and Jammu University Library, Jammu. I am also thankful to the libraries of Pakistan namely University of the Punjab Library Lahore, Government College University (Lahore), Punjab Public Library (Lahore), International Water Management Institute Library Lahore, Indus Water Commission Library Lahore, Water Management Training Institute Library (Lahore), Quaid-I-Azam University Library (Islamabad), Indus River System Authority Library (Islamabad), AJK Assembly Library (Muzaffarabad), AJK University Library (Muzaffarabad). I am greatly thankful to Professor Gulshan Majeed and his wife Madam Nighat Parveen for their affection and attention, I received without much deserving it and I will never forget their encouragement and love which made me feel at home in Srinagar (Kashmir). Lastly but not the least, I am indebted to my mother, father, sisters and brothers for their love and encouragement and who initiated me into the challenging world of academics. I am grateful to my brothers, Raja Muhammad Asif and Raja Tahir Nawaz as they are the pillars of strength upon which my life is built. Heartfelt thanks to the whole of my beloved family, which has been a source of joy and solace for me all through the entire career. Concluding with this thought, that more I reflect and go back on my past, the more vividly do I feel my limitations and weaknesses, but I nevertheless endeavoured to develop my potential and find appropriate means to actualize it. This acknowledgment will be incomplete if I will not acknowledge the writers from whose writings I have benefited most. Raja Nazakat Ali Abbreviations ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank AF Acre Feet BCM Billion Cubic Meter CBDC Central Bari Doab Canal CBM Confidence Building Measure CENTO Central Treaty Organization BRBLC Bambanwali Ravi Bedian Link Canal IBDF Indus Basin Development Fund COA Court Of Arbitration CWC Central Water Commission ICA Irrigated Crop Area ICOLD International Commission On Large Dams IGBM Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Mehgna ILA International Law Association ILC International Law Commission ICJ International Court of Justice IRSA Indus River System Authority IWI Indus Water Treaty J&K Jammu and Kashmir JKPDC Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation MAF Million Acres Feet MOU Memorandum Of Understanding NE Neutral Expert NHPC National Hydro Power Corporation NWFP North West Frontier Province Abbreviations PIC Permanent Indus Commission PPC Punjab Partition Committee ROR Run-Of-River Project SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SEATO South East Asia Treaty Organization UBDC Upper Bari Doab UN United Nations UNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDP United Nations Development Projects USA United States of America TVA Tennessee Valley Authority WAPDA Water and Power Development Authority WB World Bank CONTENTS Chapter No. Chapters Page No. Certificate Declaration Acknowledgement Abbreviations Abstract i-ii 1. Introduction 1-28 1.1. Relevance of the Study 8 1.2. Research Method and Sources of Data 9 1.3. Literature Review 10 2. Water Conflicts in South Asian Sub-Continent 29-46 2.1. Geo-Political Overview of South Asian Sub-Continent 29 2.2. Water Resources of South Asian Sub-Continent 32 2.3. Water Disputes between various Countries of South Asian Sub-Continent 34 2.3.1. Water dispute between India and Pakistan 35 2.3.2. Water dispute between India and Nepal 36 2.3.2.1.a. Origin of the dispute 36 2.3.2.1.b. History and factors leading to the treaty: 36 2.3.2.1.c. The Mahakali Integrated Treaty, 1996 38 2.3.3. Water dispute between India and Bangladesh 40 2.3.3.1.a. Origin of the dispute 40 2.3.3.1.b. Attempts to settle the dispute 42 2.3.4. Cooperation between Bhutan and India over Water 44 Conclusion 46 3. Geographical Profile of Indus Basin 47-70 3.1. Location of Indus Basin 47 3.2. Physiography of Indus Basin 48 3.3. The Indus River 49 3.4. The Jhelum River 53 3.5. The Chenab River 57 3.6. The Ravi River 59 3.7. The Beas River 60 3.8. The Sutlej River 61 3.9. The Kabul River 63 3.10. Climate of the Indus Basin 64 Conclusion 69 4. Historical Background of the Indus Water Treaty 71-104 4.1. Water Resource Development in the Indus Basin: A Historical Perspective 71 4.1.2. Water resource development in the Indus Basin during Sultanate period 73 4.1.3. Water resource development in the Indus Basin during British period 76 4.2. Origin of Water Dispute over the Indus Basin 79 4.3. Development of Water Disputes in Pre-Partition Period 80 4.3.1.