India’s threat to suspend water sharing treaty with Pakistan offers lessons to SL seeking energy connectivity- Gammanpila

India's threat to  suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan  offers valuable lessons for Sri Lanka  to reconsider the  energy sector connectivity with India, former Minister Udaya Gammanpila said yesterday.

India threatened to immediately suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan as part of measures to downgrade diplomatic ties with its neighbour after militants attacked tourists in Kashmir, killing 26

Delivering remarks to the press , Mr. Gammanpila said that Sri Lanka should reconsider the MoUs signed with India for the interconnection of two power grids and laying a multi- product petroleum pipeline.

He put out in public domain the copies of two MoUs signed during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. 
Referring to the tripartite MoU signed among  Sri Lanka, India and the United Arab Emirates to develop Sri Lanka as an energy hub, he said it had been signed in three languages- English,  Hindi and Arabic, a break from the previous tradition of singing in English only.

Drawing parallels   with  Pakistan, he said  India threatened  to suspend the treaty on water sharing  between two the countries, and it is fathomable what it will do regarding an MoU on energy connectivity in the event of an issue. 

The treaty allocated the three eastern rivers – the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – of the Indus basin to India, while 80 percent  of the three western ones – the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – to Pakistan. 

The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) survived two wars between the nuclear rivals and was seen as an example of trans-boundary water management.

"In our case, we seek energy connectivity with India. Yet, Pakistan has not sought to be dependent on India voluntarily for water. It happens to be a riparian state. It depends on six rivers flowing from India for water requirements.  If water supply, a basic humanitarian need, is sought to be cut in the event of an issue, we have to think twice in getting connected to India for electricity and petroleum supplies, " he said.