India Says It Will Not Let a Single Drop of Water Flow to Pakistan; Pakistan Says Water Treaty Still Valid

(Central News Agency, New Delhi, 10th Combined Foreign Report) India's Water Resources Minister said that after New Delhi suspended a key treaty last year, India is committed to ensuring that 'not a single drop of water' flows into neighboring Pakistan.

According to AFP, Pakistan has stated that any attempt to alter the flow of cross-border waterways would be considered an 'act of war' and that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) remains in effect because there is no mechanism for unilateral withdrawal.

Water Resources Minister C.R. Patil told the Indian international news agency ANI last night, 'It is certain that not a single drop of water will flow to (Pakistan) in the coming years.'

Speaking in Hindi, Patil said that India is 'actively taking action' on this matter following 'instructions' from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The treaty governs the use of water from six rivers that originate in India but flow into Pakistan as part of the Indus River basin, a resource vital for the survival of hundreds of millions of people.

The Indus River traverses a highly sensitive region between India and Pakistan, located in the disputed, Muslim-majority Kashmir region, a Himalayan territory over which both India and Pakistan claim full sovereignty.

In May 2025, India suspended its membership in the Indus Waters Treaty after accusing Pakistan of supporting a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. Pakistan denies the allegation.

The two nuclear-armed nations subsequently engaged in a four-day conflict marked by intense exchanges of drones, missiles, and artillery, resulting in nearly 70 deaths on both sides.

Since then, water issues have been a point of contention in bilateral relations.

Earlier this month, Pakistan accused India of attempting to 'weaponize' water after New Delhi announced two projects on the Indian-controlled section of the Chenab River.

In May, India's state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation issued a tender for a proposed tunnel project that would divert water from the Chenab River to the Beas River basin.

In January, India's Ministry of Power stated that it was conducting 'sediment removal' work at the Salal Power Station on the Chenab River following the 'termination of the Indus Waters Treaty'.

Experts point out that India's existing dams do not have the capacity to block or divert water, only to regulate the timing of its release.

Cutting off the flow would have severe consequences for Pakistan's agriculture and overall economy, but any engineering project would take years to have a material impact.

An official in Indian-administered Kashmir stated that any project 'cannot start before mid-2027' and would take at least five years to complete. (Editor: Liu Shuqin) 1150610