China, Pakistan Can Work Together to Protect Indus Waters Treaty, Says Victor Gao

Dr. Victor Gao, Vice President of the China Center for Globalization, has said that China and Pakistan can work together to ensure the effective implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty, while calling for stronger international efforts to prevent any violations of the agreement.

During the international seminar on Indus Waters Treaty, Dr. Gao stated that the decades old agreement could enhanced even further with the inclusion of China in the discussions on the treaty. He said it was a privilege to be there for the seminar, and that shutting off the water was “a crime against humanity.

As far as Pakistan and India have been concerned, Dr Gao said water issues had escalated, with India threatening to dam rivers entering Pakistan approximately one year ago. He also cited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments on the Indus River that it would be a “serious breach” of international humanitarian law to deny water to millions of people.

“Even during war, cutting off water supplies to millions of people is considered a war crime,” Dr. Gao said, adding that he had previously urged India not to take such a step.

In an interview with an Indian television channel last year, he stressed that not only Pakistan, but India also a downstream country, and countries should treat others the way they want to treated,” he added.

Dr. Gao has requested to put alleged infraction of IWT on the international agenda. India is not the only upper riparian country in the Indus River system, he added.

Dr. Gao believes that both countries can make great strides through mutual respect and cooperation. He urged that all efforts made to avoid actions that might compromise the treaty.

In a personal note about the views expressed by the Pakistani speakers at the seminar, Dr. Gao stated that China and Pakistan should keep working closely on water security and implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty.

The Indus Waters Treaty, sign in 1960 with the backing of the World Bank, one of the most significant water-sharing agreements in the region today, with the agreement between Pakistan and India still enforced.