India Threatens Pakistan’s Water Supply with Indus River Project Plans

By Staff, Agencies

India is actively considering an aggressive expansion of water infrastructure on the Indus river system, which could significantly reduce flows to Pakistan, in retaliation for the April attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, according to a Reuters exclusive.

The move risks upending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty and escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Shortly after 26 civilians were killed in a bombing in Indian-occupied Kashmir on April 22, Indian authorities suspended participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark agreement brokered in 1960 that governs water sharing between the two countries.

Though Pakistan denies involvement in the incident, the treaty has remained in limbo, even as both sides recently agreed to a ceasefire following one of their most intense military escalations in decades.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly ordered an expedited review of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum, and Indus rivers, waterways primarily designated for Pakistan’s use under the treaty.

Six sources familiar with internal discussions told Reuters that these plans include infrastructure upgrades that could restrict water flow into Pakistan’s Punjab province.

According to Reuters, among the major proposals is the doubling of the Ranbir canal, a British-era structure on the Chenab River.