Pakistan Threatens War With India Over Water

In a major escalation of tensions with Pakistan, India has suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people, including a tourist from Nepal.

The suspension marks the first time India has halted obligations under the 1960 agreement, which governs the sharing of water from six rivers in the Indus basin between the two countries.

India’s move stops the sharing of critical hydrological data including river flow and snowmelt information, that Pakistan relies on to manage its water resources.

Although India’s decision does not terminate the treaty outright, it places the agreement “in abeyance,” sending a strong diplomatic message to Pakistan to curb cross-border terrorism.

Operational restrictions on India’s use of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers—the western rivers critical to Pakistan’s agriculture—are also suspended, allowing India greater freedom to pursue water storage and hydropower projects.

Despite the suspension, immediate impacts on Pakistan’s water supply are unlikely. India currently lacks the infrastructure necessary to divert or block the river flows significantly. However, over time, any alteration in water usage could have severe consequences for Pakistan, which depends on the western rivers for about 80% of its agricultural water and a large portion of its hydropower supply.

Pakistan has warned that any attempt to block or redirect water flows would be considered an act of war, raising the stakes amid already heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

The suspension of the treaty, a rare example of India-Pakistan cooperation that had survived previous conflicts, is part of a broader diplomatic and economic crackdown by India following the Pahalgam attack. Other measures include visa cancellations and tighter border controls.

Source: Times of India