'No Power In World Can Bring Back Article 370': PM Modi Slams NC, Congress In Katra

Katra: Slamming the Congress -National Conference alliance over its stand on the restoration of Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that no power in the world can bring back Article 370 in the Indian Constitution adding that Pakistan 's agenda will not be implemented at any cost in the Union Territory. 

Addressing an election rally in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) candidate in this newly-created Assembly segment of Mata Vaishno Devi, Prime Minister Modi said, "We will not let Pakistan 's agenda be imposed in J&K. No power in the world can bring back Article 370 in J&K."

On August 5, 2019, the BJP -led Centre announced the revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir granted under Article 370 and split the region into two Union territories.

No Power Can Restore Article 370, says PM Modi | WATCH 

He accused opposition parties of lacking the courage to build dams that could have benefited farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. PM Modi said his government is continuously improving road connectivity in the region to tap the full tourism potential of the area.

Congress -NC Never Dared To Construct Big Dam In J&K

"The governments run by the NC and Congress allowed our waters to flow across the border. They never dared to construct a big dam here. The Shahpur Kandi dam project remained untouched for years and as a result, thousands of hectares of land in Jammu became lifeless," he said.

He stated that if a BJP government had not been formed at the Centre, the struggling farmers of Kathua and Samba districts would have been reeling under great distress. 

"Work on four hydro-power projects -- Pakal Dul, Kiru, Ratle and Kwar -- is going on at a rapid pace. This will not only benefit the region by improving power availability but also provide employment to youngsters," the prime minister said.

Accusing the NC and the Congress of meting out stepmotherly treatment to Reasi and Udhampur districts, he said a railway bridge over the Chenab river was proposed by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government but the two parties kept the file buried.

"You handed over the work to Modi and the BJP and we not only completed it but made it an attraction for people," Modi said, referring to the 1.3-km Chenab rail bridge located 359 metres above the riverbed (35 metres higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris) that forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, part of the ongoing prestigious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway Link (USBRL) project.

"This bridge, higher than the Eiffel Tower, brought the region in global focus," he said, adding that the government sanctioned a Vande Bharat train to Katra immediately after the project was rolled out.

India Sends Notice To Pakistan On Reviewing Indus Water Treaty 

India has served a formal notice to Pakistan , seeking review and modification of the Indus Water Treaty. The notice was sent to Pakistan on August 30, 2024. Under Article XII (3) of the Treaty, its provisions may from time to time be modified by a duly ratified Treaty concluded for that purpose between the two Governments.

India's notification highlights fundamental and unforeseen changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of obligations under various articles of the treaty, the sources were quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

Among various concerns, the important ones include a change in population demographics, environmental issues and the need to accelerate the development of clean energy to meet India's emission targets, they said.

India has also cited the impact of persistent cross-border terrorism as one of the reasons for demanding the review.

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed on September 19, 1960, between India and Pakistan and facilitated by the World Bank, establishes a framework for cooperation and information sharing regarding the water resources of the Indus River and its five tributaries: Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, and Chenab. The treaty delineates how the waters from the six rivers of the Indus River System are to be allocated between the two countries. It grants Pakistan unrestricted use of the three western rivers—Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum—while India has unrestricted rights to the three eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. This allocation results in approximately 80% of the water being available to Pakistan and 20% to India.