Indus Waters Treaty Suspended Until Pakistan Ceases Cross-Border Terrorism: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has firmly stated that the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain in abeyance until Pakistan puts an end to cross-border terrorism in a manner that is both credible and irreversible. Addressing the media, Jaishankar emphasized that the only dialogue India is open to regarding Kashmir is the vacating of the illegally occupied Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“The Indus Waters Treaty is held in abeyance and will continue to be held in abeyance until the cross-border terrorism by Pakistan is credibly and irrevocably stopped,” Jaishankar asserted. “The only thing which remains to be discussed on Kashmir is the vacating of illegally occupied Indian territory in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir; we are open to that discussion.”
India’s firm stance follows the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 people, including tourists. In response, India announced a series of strong retaliatory measures against Pakistan on April 23, including the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a pivotal water-sharing agreement brokered by the World Bank. The treaty governs the allocation of water from the Indus River and its tributaries—Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Jhelum, and Chenab—between India and Pakistan.
India also closed down the integrated check post at the Attari border and reduced the staff strength at the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi as part of its retaliatory actions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the nation for the first time since Operation Sindoor, underscored the move to suspend the treaty, stating that “water and blood can never flow together.”
On Tuesday, reports from The Times of India cited official sources indicating that Pakistan had recently appealed to India to reconsider its decision to keep the treaty in abeyance. The report suggested that Pakistan highlighted the reliance of millions of its citizens on the shared water resources covered under the treaty. However, a senior official, as quoted in the report, stated that “Pakistan’s refusal to rein in the terrorists has knocked the very premise underpinning the treaty.”
The treaty, signed in 1960, has been one of the few enduring agreements between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, even amid military standoffs and strained diplomatic relations. It mandates the allocation and management of water resources, ensuring that India controls the eastern rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) and Pakistan controls the western rivers (Jhelum, Chenab, Indus). Additionally, the treaty requires regular communication between the two countries, allowing for the exchange of hydrological and meteorological data.
However, the recent suspension of the treaty marks a significant shift in India’s policy stance. “The Indus Waters Treaty was negotiated in a spirit of goodwill and good neighbourliness,” a senior official remarked. “That is why we persisted with it despite the fact that it was flawed and loaded against India. However, Pakistan’s continued support for terrorism has rendered the agreement unsustainable in its current form.”
According to the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, India’s decision to suspend the treaty is part of a broader policy to isolate Pakistan diplomatically and economically as long as it continues to support cross-border terrorism. “New Delhi will continue to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures support for cross-border terrorism,” Jaiswal reiterated.
Meanwhile, the suspension of the treaty has raised concerns about water security in Pakistan, a country heavily reliant on the Indus River and its tributaries for agriculture, drinking water, and hydropower generation. The situation has also drawn international attention, with global observers closely monitoring the implications of the treaty’s abeyance on regional stability and Indo-Pak relations.
As the diplomatic standoff continues, experts suggest that India’s firm stance could potentially pressure Pakistan to take verifiable actions against terror groups operating from its soil. However, the suspension of the treaty also risks escalating tensions between the two countries, especially given the strategic importance of the Indus River basin to Pakistan’s economy and infrastructure.
India’s move to suspend the treaty not only serves as a strong message to Pakistan but also signals a significant recalibration of its approach towards diplomatic agreements that have been perceived as disproportionately benefiting its adversary. The abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty, as many analysts suggest, is a calculated measure by India to exert pressure on Pakistan to reconsider its support for terror networks and to adhere to international norms against terrorism.
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