(The views expressed in this journal
are solely
those of
the authors)
The
lead
paper
in
this
issue,
by
an
Indian
water
expert,
Ramaswamy
Iyer,
outlines
the
national
concerns
and
issues
related
to
water
among
the
upper
and
lower
riparian
countries
of
South
Asia.
Touching
on
major
domestic
and
regional
water
issues
faced
by
India,
Pakistan,
Nepal,
Bangladesh
and
Bhutan,
the
author
sketches
out
common
convergences
and
divergences
regarding
water
in
these
countries.
However,
he
deals
with
the
Baglihar
Hydroelectric
Project
controversy,
which
has
put
to
test
the
Indus
Water
Treaty,
more
from
political
consideration
than
technical
standpoints.
Shahid
Husain,
former
Secretary
for
Water
and
Power,
Pakistan,
provides
an
empirical
account
of
the
dispute
over
the
Baglihar
Hydroelectric
Project
between
India
and
Pakistan.
The
author
looks
at
the
latest
developments
regarding
the
Baglihar
Dam
Project
and
takes
a
partisan
position
commensurate
with
the
official
position.
He,
however,
shows
how
this
project
can,
if
completed
according
to
the
current
design,
adversely
affect
Pakistan's
water
interests.
Dr
Zaigham
Habib,
an
expert
on
Pakistan's
water
issues,
advocates
future
water
security
while
analysing
the
current
local
water
scarcity,
conservation
threats,
water
management
and
ownership
issues
in
Pakistan.
Being
the
only
researcher
with
a
doctorate
thesis
on
the
Indus
Basin
System,
she
takes
a
critical
view
of
the
current
water
strategy,
dominated
by
WAPDA,
and
analyses
the
political
controversy
over
water
distribution
and
the
conflict
among
provinces.
On
Nepal's
water
situation,
Dr
Bishnu
Hari
Nepal,
a
former
Nepalese
diplomat,
says
that
India
needs
to
change
its
water
policies
regarding
its
neighbours
for
effective
management
of
Nepal's
water.
The
author
identifies
ten
areas
of
concern
to
Nepal.
He
feels
that
there
is
an
absence
of
cooperation
between
the
upper
and
lower
riparian
countries
and
cites
the
South
Asian
Regional
Riparian
Rights
Statutes
(SA-RRR-S)
Model
as
a
solution
to
the
Indo-centric
water
conflicts
of
the
region.
Emaduddin
Ahmad,
Executive
Director,
Institute
of
Water
Modelling
(IWM),
Bangladesh,
looks
at
water
development
issues
in
Bangladesh.
After
assessing
national
water
policies
of
the
country
and
looking
at
water
development
issues
such
as
flood
mitigation,
salinity,
high
proportion
of
arsenic
contamination
of
water
and
institutional
reforms,
the
author
suggests
coordinated
efforts
to
reduce
the
effects
of
these
ecological
damages.
He
also
critically
evaluates
India's
River
Linking
Project
which
will
have
adverse
effects
on
Bangladesh's
water.
The
author
proposes
an
apex
body
comprising
representatives
of
all
the
co-riparian
states
to
evolve
a
plan
for
development,
conservation,
sharing
and
utilisation
of
international
waters
while
maintaining
ecological
balance.
Bangladesh's
domestic
water
supply
issues
are
highlighted
by
Dr
Md.
Abdul
Ghani,
National
Coordinator
for
International
Rice
Research
Institute
(IRRI),
Bangladesh.
Groundwater
in
Bangladesh
is
contaminated
by
natural
arsenic
in
60
out
of
64
districts.
The
arsenic
issue,
according
to
the
author,
can
be
resolved
through
using
research
findings
in
an
effective
manner
to
ensure
clean,
safe
water
for
groundwater
users.
He
argues
that,
apart
from
arsenic
contamination,
salinity,
improper
waste
disposal
and
a
general
lack
of
research
and
awareness
regarding
domestic
water
issues
are
also
contributing
to
the
country's
deteriorating
water
supply.
Iqbal
Mustafa,
former
CEO
Small
and
Medium
Enterprises
Development
Authority
(SMEDA),
Pakistan
and
Farrukh
M.
Khan,
currently
associated
with
SMEDA,
profile
the
agrarian
economies
of
Indian
and
Pakistani
Punjabs.
Looking
at
marketing,
technological
advancements
in
farming,
agriculture
and
dairy
production,
the
authors
feel
that
the
time
has
come
for
practical
cooperation
between
the
two
Punjabs.
Globalisation
and
the
pressures
of
the
WTO-regime
make
Punjab-Punjab
cooperation
essential
for
the
development
of
the
two
economies.
By
comparing
the
two
economies,
they
identify
the
areas
of
cooperation.
Tridivesh
Singh
Maini,
a
researcher
at
American
Security
Council
Foundation,
Washington
DC,
looks
towards
Indian
and
Pakistani
Punjabs
as
possible
models
of
successful
economic
cooperation.
Arguing
a
case
for
'functional
mode'
of
integration,
the
author
looks
at
neo-classical
and
functional
modes
of
integration
in
the
light
of
the
potential
of
the
two
Punjabs.
According
to
the
author,
it
is
in
South
Asia's
interest
to
realise
that
a
different
approach
to
economic
integration
may
be
needed
from
that
of
the
European
Union's
model.
Promoting
a
'closer
understanding
and
interaction
of
cultures',
the
author
says
that
it
is
time
to
rethink
the
strategy
for
economic
cooperation.
Shanti
Kumar,
a
Professor
at
the
University
of
Wisconsin-Madison,
academically
reviews
the
nationalist
genre
of
Hindu
epics
and
the
function
of
the
sutradhar
or
the
work
of
programming
in
national
television
in
India.
The
author
focuses
on
Hindu
epics
such
as
Ramayana
and
Mahabharta
shown
on
Doordarshan
which
make
good
use
of
the
central
figure
of
the
sutradhar.
Professor
Kumar
makes
a
case
for
media
scholars
to
focus
on
the
contexts
in
which
television
genres
are
combined,
produced
and
consumed
in
India.
This
paper
on
the
Bhakti
Movement
in
the
subcontinent,
by
Ahmad
Salim,
a
Pakistani
researcher,
gives
a
complete
history
of
the
movement,
along
with
the
philosophy
behind
the
teachings
of
the
sufis
and
saints.
The
author
looks
at
various
Bhakti
protagonists
under
various
influences:
Sufiism
of
Islam,
Sikhism,
and
also
the
rise
of
the
female
saint
in
the
subcontinent.
As
a
reaction
to
Brahminical
superiority,
hierarchy
within
the
system
and
communal
discord
brought
upon
by
religious
divides,
the
Bhakti
Movement
gave
a
message
of
communal
harmony
and
strove
for
the
co-existence
of
communities
in
the
subcontinent.
Analysing
the
movement,
the
author
also
profiles
many
scholars
(both
conservative
and
enlightened)
associated
with
the
movement.
Dr
Mustafizur
Rehman,
Research
Director,
Centre
for
Policy
Dialogue
(CPD),
Dhaka,
looks
at
Bangladesh's
ready-made
garment
industry
against
the
backdrop
of
the
recent
phasing-out
of
Multi-Fibre
Arrangements.
Historically
evaluating
the
performance
of
the
export-oriented
apparels
sector,
the
author
comes
up
with
strategies
which
could
be
used
to
counter
the
adverse
effects
of
the
MFA
phase-out
on
Bangladesh's
apparels
industry.
According
to
the
author,
Bangladesh
needs
to
invest
in
technological
up-gradation,
promote
its
'winning
items'
and
continue
to
pursue
the
demand
of
the
LDCs
for
zero-tariff
access
for
goods
of
their
relative
advantage,
particularly
apparels.
Rashed
Rahman,
a
senior
Pakistani
journalist,
gives
a
historical
account
of
the
current
political
situation
in
the
Pakistani
province
of
Balochistan.
The
author
terms
the
recent
incidents
in
Balochistan
only
the
'tip
of
the
iceberg'
and
maintains
that
Baloch
nationalist
resentment
over
the
central
government's
attitude
goes
deeper.
Explaining
the
nature
of
the
Baloch
people
and
the
land,
he
details
the
history
of
nationalism
and
resistance
in
Balochistan
connecting
it
to
the
recent
upsurge.
While
referring
to
recent
efforts
to
redress
Baloch
complaints,
he
expresses
his
apprehensions
without,
however,
being
judgmental.
Sankaran
Krishna,
a
Professor
at
the
University
of
Hawaii,
is
quite
sceptical
of
India's
IT
sector
'success'
in
recent
years.
Criticising
the
neo-liberal
economic
development
model,
being
pursued
by
India,
the
author
says
that
the
success
of
the
IT
sector
has
come
about
on
account
of
India
capitalising
on
its
comparative
advantage
in
a
segment
of
the
world
economy.
He
argues
that
India
needs
to
use
state-led
efforts
to
reduce
poverty
and
under-development
rather
than
relying
upon
a
conclave
