In a bold and escalating move following a deadly attack in Kashmir, India’s Water Resources Minister C.R. Paatil announced on Friday that the country is actively working on measures to block all water flow to Pakistan from the Indus River system.
The statement came in response to the tragic killing of 26 people in the scenic Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this week. India has blamed the attack on Pakistan-based elements — a charge Islamabad has firmly denied. Tensions have since soared between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“We will ensure that not a single drop of the Indus River’s water reaches Pakistan,” Minister Paatil said in a strongly worded post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Following the attack, India suspended the long-standing Indus Waters Treaty — a World Bank-brokered agreement signed in 1960 that governs the distribution of water from the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan. Under the treaty, Pakistan has rights over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab), while India controls the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej).
India’s suspension of the treaty is a rare and provocative step, raising concerns over a potential water crisis in Pakistan, which heavily depends on the Indus River for agriculture, drinking water, and hydropower.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials reported overnight cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC), further stoking fears of military escalation.
As diplomatic and military tensions rise, international observers, including the United Nations, have urged both countries to show restraint and resolve their disputes through peaceful dialogue. However, India’s latest announcement signals a hardened stance that could reshape water politics in the region and deepen the standoff between the two rival states.
