New Delhi: According to Reuters report, In a resolute and historic declaration, India has formally stated that it will never reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, marking a dramatic turn in bilateral relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. The announcement came from Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, who underlined the government’s decision to completely halt water flows into Pakistan from Indian-controlled river systems. “Not a single drop of Indian water will reach Pakistan again,” Shah asserted, emphasizing that this is not a temporary suspension, but a permanent shift in policy.
Signed in 1960 under the mediation of the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty was hailed as a model of transboundary cooperation. It granted Pakistan control over the western rivers Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab while India retained access to the eastern rivers Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. Despite several wars and periods of tension, the treaty had endured for over six decades as one of the few sustained links between the two countries. That era has now come to a definitive end.
The decision follows the brutal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian civilians. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants for the massacre, heightening anti-Pakistan sentiment and pushing the Modi-led administration to take more aggressive retaliatory measures. While diplomatic and military tensions appeared to ease in May following international appeals, India has chosen to double down on punitive actions—this time through water diplomacy.
Amit Shah confirmed that India will expedite the construction of infrastructure projects aimed at diverting waters of the Ravi and other rivers into the drought-prone regions of Rajasthan and Punjab. These efforts are part of what India now views as a sovereign right to utilize its river resources for the benefit of its own citizens, particularly in light of increasing domestic water scarcity and agricultural demands.
The move has triggered alarm in Pakistan, where the agricultural sector is heavily dependent on Indus water flows. According to reports, Pakistan’s major dams Mangla and Tarbela have already reached "dead levels", severely limiting irrigation capacity. The shortage threatens the upcoming kharif planting season and could plunge millions of farmers into crisis. Officials in Islamabad warn that if India unilaterally alters water flows without mutual agreement, it would be tantamount to waging war through ecological means.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has condemned the announcement, vowing to explore all diplomatic and legal channels to challenge the decision at the international level. However, with India unyielding in its stance, the likelihood of a negotiated return to the treaty framework appears increasingly remote.
Meanwhile, international stakeholders including the United Nations, World Bank, and neighboring countries are watching the situation with concern. The Indus Waters Treaty had been one of the few stabilizing anchors in South Asian geopolitics; its dissolution opens the door to heightened water conflicts in an already fragile region.
India’s declaration not only marks the end of a landmark water-sharing pact, but also signals a hardening of its strategic posture toward Pakistan shifting from deterrence to a policy of sustained pressure. As tensions escalate and river flows dry, the fallout from this decision is set to ripple far beyond the Indus basin, potentially rewriting the rules of engagement between two of Asia’s most volatile rivals.