Indus water pact with Pakistan ‘will never be restored’, says Amit Shah
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Indus water pact with Pakistan ‘will never be restored’, says Amit Shah
India will not reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The treaty was suspended following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack, which killed several civilians, was backed by Pakistan-based groups.
In an interview published Saturday in the Times of India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah ruled out any possibility of resuming the 1960 treaty, terming it unfair to India.
“It will never be restored,” Shah said. “We will take the water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, allocated the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum and Chenab) to Pakistan and the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) to India. It also provided for cooperative arrangements on hydropower and irrigation between the two neighbours.
India says will “never” reinstate Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan
India announced Saturday that it will “never” reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The landmark agreement was signed in 1960 to manage shared river resources. India suspended its participation in the treaty in April following a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 people dead. New Delhi blamed the assault on an extremist group allegedly backed by Islamabad, a charge Pakistan denies.
India suspended its participation in the treaty in April following a deadly attack in a tourist town in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 people dead. New Delhi blamed the assault on an extremist group allegedly backed by Islamabad, a charge Pakistan has denied.
The incident triggered a series of escalating attacks and retaliatory strikes between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Though a ceasefire remains technically in place, tensions persist.
In an interview published by The Times of India on Saturday, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the treaty will not be revived, saying: “It will never be restored.”
Shah added that India plans to divert the waters flowing to Pakistan through the construction of a canal into the Indian state of Rajasthan.
“Pakistan will be deprived of the water it has been unfairly benefiting from,” he said.
The Indus Waters Treaty had allocated three Himalayan rivers to each country, granting usage rights for irrigation and hydroelectric power, with a joint India-Pakistan commission tasked with resolving disputes.
In May, Islamabad insisted the treaty was untouchable, after New Delhi signaled its continued suspension despite a recently agreed ceasefire.
“Neither party can unilaterally alter or terminate the treaty without mutual consent,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at the time.
The ongoing dispute has reignited long-standing tensions between the South Asian rivals. More than 70 people were killed in May during four days of clashes involving missiles, drones, and artillery; the most intense military confrontation between the two countries since the Kargil War in 1999.