Blood and Water cannot flow together: PM Modi

Blood and Water cannot flow together:
 PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: "Blood and water cannot flow together," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, 26^th September 2016 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 the 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". The Commission has held 112 meetings so far.

"Prime Minister's 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.