The Issue of FARAKKA:
An Introduction
IX. The "Ad Hoc" agreement of 1975
By 1971, the issue related to Farakka has fundamentally changed. Pakistan treated the Farakka issue from two angles. First, Farakka was an issue within the overall India-Pakistan relationship that was based on deep-rooted antagonism and adversarial relationship. Second, Pakistan, in its characteristic way, dealt with Farakka as problem that affected East Pakistan, to which her sensitivity was different than the problems related to West Pakistan. Thus, there was a water treaty between Pakistan and India in 1962 within the framework of Indus Water Treaty. But no progress in regard to Farakka. Yes, there was the most callous intransigence on the part of India in regard to Farakka, but the way Pakistan handled it was the same way Pakistan's ruling authority has always done: neglect.
Pakistan was no longer in the picture as far as Farakka was concerned and India began to treat Bangladesh as part of her larger family.
In just a few months after the independence (March 17, 1972), Bangladesh signed a 25-year treaty with India Article 6 of which read: "The high contracting parties (further) agree to make joint studies and take joint actions in the fields of flood control, river basin development and the development of hydro-electric power and and irrigation." [Begum, p. 108]During this period, Khondoker Mushtaq Ahmed was the Minister for Water and Power, and he met with his Indian counterpart in April 1972. However, "the issue of sharing the Ganga water was left to be settled by the Prime Ministers of the two countries." [Begum, p. 109] There was a follow up meeting at the ministerial level again in July 1973, but without any major breakthrough. However, "...there was a commitment by the Indian side that 'a mutually acceptable solution will be arrived at before operating the Farakka Barrage.' Thus India made a commitment in public that it would not take unilateral decision regarding the Commissioning of the Barrage. But it is to be noted that at this time the construction of the Farakka project was on the verge of completion. ... It was not possible for Bangladesh to withhold its opinion against the commissioning of the Barrage sine die." [Begum, p. 109]
The follow up meeting at the level of foreign ministers between Kamal Hossain and Sardar Swaran Singh in February 1974 was "just a repetition of the preceding one." In May 1974 the Prime Ministers' summit took place. This time there was an agreement. First, "Farakka Barrage WOULD BE commissioned before the end of 1974". Second, it was implicit that "a mutually acceptable solution must be found." [Begum, p. 110] India's main strategy remained to persuade Bangladesh to focus on Ganga-Brahmaputa link canal scheme and concede to it. Bangladesh found this proposal unacceptable. "India on her part refused to consider the proposal of building reservoirs or storage dams raised by Bangladesh and did not agree to consider the inclusion of Nepal for that purpose." [Begum, p. 111]
In April 1975 at the next ministerial level meeting an "ad hoc" agreement was reached to "TEST RUN the feeder canal" of the Barrage. This agreement provided a low-level of water diversion for 41 days, "with effect from 21st April to 31st May" to be publicized. [Begum, p. 111]
"In the era of Sk. Mujibur Rahma and Mrs. Indira Gandhi this Ad hoc Agreement to test run the feeder canal was the last significant development in the history of the Ganga conflict. It was not at all a solution of the dispute, rather a stage was set for further communications to develop." [Begum, p. 112]
The political context of Bangladesh then took a fundamentally new turn. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the leader of the independence movement of Bangladesh and its first prime minister was assassinate in August 1975, "during a military take-over of power and subsequent changes in the power structure in Bangladesh which had its profound impact in shaping the nature of the dispute. ... Here arises the question what went wrong with the state of affairs that the two countries failed to avail of the opportunity to resolve the issue of the Ganga conflict in this Indira-Mujib period?" [Begum, p. 112]
Go to Part X: The Mujib Period.
Go to the Farakka Index
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