India’s Stance on Indus Waters Treaty

Home Minister Amit Shah stated in a recent interview that India will not reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty with Islamabad. He added that water currently flowing to Pakistan will be redirected for domestic utilization.

India suspended its involvement in the 1960 treaty, which regulates the Indus river system, following the deaths of 26 civilians in what Delhi characterized as a terrorist act in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The agreement had ensured water access for 80% of Pakistan’s agricultural lands through three rivers originating in India.

Pakistan has refuted involvement in the alleged act of terror. Despite a ceasefire reached last month after escalated tensions, the accord remains inactive.

“It will never be restored,” Shah told the newspaper.

Shah stated that India intends to divert water allocated to Pakistan to Rajasthan through the construction of a canal. He claimed that Pakistan has been receiving water unjustifiably and will face shortages.

These remarks from Shah, a key figure in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, have reduced hopes in Islamabad for near-term negotiations on the treaty.

Reports last month indicated India’s plan to substantially increase its water extraction from a major river feeding Pakistani farms downstream, as a retaliatory measure.

While Pakistan’s foreign ministry has not yet responded to requests for comments, it has previously stated that the treaty lacks provisions for unilateral withdrawal. Islamabad has warned that any obstruction of river water flow to Pakistan would be considered “an act of war.”

Islamabad is also considering a legal challenge under international law against India’s decision to suspend the treaty.