NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — India announced Wednesday it is suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan, escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors after a terror attack in Kashmir left 26 dead.
The move comes two days after militants killed tourists and civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Indian intelligence officials cited by.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the suspension would remain in effect until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for cross-border terrorism. The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, governs the distribution of river waters between the two countries and is considered a cornerstone of South Asian water diplomacy.
In a sharp reaction, Pakistan called India’s decision “an act of water warfare” and vowed to challenge it legally, emphasizing that the treaty is a binding international agreement and cannot be unilaterally suspended. “Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people, and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Following an emergency meeting of its National Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan announced it was suspending the 1972 Simla Agreement, closing its airspace to Indian airlines, and revoking visa exemptions under the SAARC framework.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar dismissed India’s allegations as “baseless” and called New Delhi’s moves “knee-jerk” and “inappropriate,” according to Samaa TV. Dar also demanded that India provide evidence linking Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack.
Meanwhile, India’s expulsion of Pakistani diplomats and closure of the Wagah-Attari border crossing mark some of the most aggressive steps New Delhi has taken since the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, after which several hydropower projects were fast-tracked in the disputed region of Ladakh.
Experts say India’s suspension of the treaty could have wide-reaching consequences. Under the treaty, India controls the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers (Eastern Rivers) for unrestricted use, while Pakistan relies heavily on the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab (Western Rivers) for agriculture.
Former Indus Water Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Saxena told Press Trust of India (PTI) that without the treaty in place, India would no longer be bound by restrictions on reservoir operations or storage on the Western rivers. This could include changes in reservoir management, desilting practices, and potential halts to the sharing of flood data with Pakistan, moves that could severely impact Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
Saxena noted that while the IWT does not explicitly allow abrogation, Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties could offer India legal grounds for withdrawal under “fundamental change of circumstances.”
The Indus Waters Treaty has survived two wars and numerous military standoffs between the rivals. Its suspension marks a significant departure from decades of water cooperation even amid conflict. Both sides now face heightened diplomatic and environmental risks as a critical lifeline in the region hangs in the balance.
