India Blocks Water Flows to Pakistan Over Treaty Suspension

The Government of India is working to completely block water flows from the Indus basin into Pakistan, following a decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to place the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil stated that the government is actively ensuring that no water reaches Pakistan in the coming years, a move monitored by Home Minister Amit Shah.

This escalation follows a May 2025 suspension of the treaty triggered by accusations that Pakistan supported a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir. India has already initiated technical projects on the Chenab River, including sediment removal at the Salal Power Station and a proposed tunnel project by the NHPC to transfer water to the Beas Basin. Simultaneously, India has rejected the authority of a Court of Arbitration at the Hague, declaring its May 15, 2026, award null and void.

The Government of Pakistan has condemned these actions as an attempt to weaponize water, asserting that the treaty remains legally binding. Pakistani officials have warned that any alteration of water flows would be considered an act of war. While the move threatens Pakistan's agriculture and economy, reports from Kashmir indicate that physical construction on the diversion projects cannot begin before mid-2027 and would require at least five years to complete.