NEW DELHI: India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, declared on Thursday that Pakistan would no longer get water from Indian rivers as permitted by the Indus Waters Treaty. The Indus Waters Treaty, one of the most crucial water-sharing agreements between the neighbours, has long guided river access.
“Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack,” Modi declared at a rally in Rajasthan. “Its army will pay, and its economy will pay.”
Pakistan Condemns India’s State Terrorism, Calls for Dialogue –
The declaration came following a flurry of recent Indian military actions, including an attack into Pakistani territory. Pakistan answered quickly, showing power by downing six Indian jets, including Rafale fighters. The interaction had already worsened poor ties between the nuclear-armed nations.
Indus Waters Treaty: Background and Significance
Just a month earlier, India had already suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) — a 1960 pact the World Bank brokered to regulate cross-border river flows.
The suspension followed the April 22 attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people. India has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault, an allegation Islamabad denies.
Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan reiterated Islamabad’s readiness to discuss water sharing but underscored that the treaty remains binding.
“The treaty is operational and any unilateral Indian actions are at its own risk,” he told Reuters.
Awan confirmed receiving Indian proposals citing population growth and energy needs as grounds to modify the treaty. However, he insisted that any talks must occur within the treaty’s existing framework.
Furthermore, the 63-year-old treaty provides water for 80 per cent of Pakistan’s agriculture, making it essential to the nation’s food security. Pakistan’s finance minister recently noted the suspension would not immediately affect water supplies, but experts warn of longer-term consequences.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reinforced New Delhi’s stance, stating operations against militants would continue. “If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are,” he told Dutch outlet NOS.
In Islamabad, the Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources condemned India’s actions as “illegal” and “provocative.” The committee, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, warned that India’s conduct posed a direct threat to the livelihoods of 250 million Pakistanis.
“The treaty is a bilateral agreement and cannot be held in abeyance unilaterally,” said Pakistan’s Commissioner for Indus Waters, Mehar Ali Shah.
The panel urged the international community to press India to uphold its treaty obligations and labelled the reported Indian interference in Pakistan’s Neelum-Jhelum project as “water warfare.”
“This treaty is essential for Pakistan’s food and water security,” the committee stated, highlighting the country’s growing climate vulnerabilities.
Despite the ceasefire established on May 10, the committee warned that continued Indian provocations could jeopardize the fragile peace.
“Pakistan is committed to a peaceful resolution of disputes,” the committee noted. “But it will not compromise on its existential water rights.”
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