Water Polity and Kashmir: A review
The author is well known when it comes to Kashmir discourse as he has written several books on Kashmir in the past and has always appeared to be a fervent supporter of dialogue-cum-negotiations focusing on structural nuances of the conflict and end to violence in Jammu and Kashmir. The latest book is yet another marvelously drawn thought provoking account of events and eventualities and how the cacophony has cast a huge shadow on the possibility of light at the end of the dark tunnel.
The book ‘Water Polity and Kashmir’ touches new contours of Kashmir conflict with an emphasis on Waters with a capital ‘W’ besides its need and the importance in the politics of Jammu Kashmir on either side of the LoC. How it shapes the Indo -Pak relations, the book offers the relevant argument that why should not the people of Jammu and Kashmir put forth the demand for a participatory role in the water- sharing agreements between India and Pakistan to the rivers that flow or originate from erstwhile princely State of Kashmir.
It is a thesis about the benefits like employment generation, surplus profit etc and such socio-politics and economic tangents should go to the people. Tragically, the benefits are all for the government of India and rest of the Indian mainland which invested the money on the huge Hydro -electric projects. The same projects could have been initiated and investment sought internationally from bidders and thus remained beneficial for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and same is the case with people of Azad Kashmir, besides Gilghit and Baltistan in Pakistan.
The author professes the plausible solution to the water crisis and the problem between India and Pakistan. The rhetoric of dispute and political antagonism between India and Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir is clearly mentioned in the book along with the sharing of the water resources.
One finds a clear minded person who debates the political row between India and Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir and confabs about it in detail. The book opens up the new facets of the concern. The deterrence and the invariable dread of nuclear proliferation, besides the chances of nuclear mushroom cloud over the whole of subcontinent in the situation of war and prevention of such catastrophe is in effect correlated with the pledged to resolution of Kashmir the author orates out in the book.
The discourse is shaped with this maxim in the assessment given by the writer and makes the tangible swot up of the leadership in Jammu and Kashmir , India and Pakistan, who seek to offer solution to Jammu and Kashmir according to their own political predilection. Hence, offers own way out , which might bring the two warring factions— India and Pakistan to the mutual accordance and facilitate reinstatement of peace in Jammu and Kashmir.
The book gospels the up-and-coming generation of leadership to simultaneously work on the axiom to take proactive, retroactive and prospective stand on Jammu and Kashmir with ‘Kashmir Centric’ approaches and come within the reach of ‘Kashmir First Policy’.
It also illustrates from the archival material and draws profoundly from it the required essence to authenticate his views and supports them with statistical analysis of the data and dregs out the attestations. The most important part of the book is the blending of mathematical approach principally the game- theory to elucidate the that how to unravel the conflict between India and Pakistan in general and how to restore peace in Kashmir with honour and dignity vis-à-vis waters
The book is a read for policymakers, planners, agriculturists, diplomats, academia and students in general and those with specialisation in water management and related issue in particular , which shall add to the new body of study in the field of Kashmir dispute.
Title: Water Polity and Kashmir
Author: Rao farman Ali
Publisher: Gulshan Books Srinagar
Year of publication: 2018
ISBN No: 978-81-8339-576-2
Promoter: Institute of Public Policy Research and Development
