Pakistan asks India to reconsider decision to suspend Indus Waters Treaty
It was not immediately clear whether the letter from the Pakistani side was sent before or after the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7
Pakistan has called on India to reconsider its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, describing it as unilateral and a violation of the terms of the pact, in an official letter sent to New Delhi recently, people familiar with the matter said.
It was not immediately clear whether the letter from the Pakistani side was sent before or after the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7.
A day after the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 civilians, India’s Cabinet Committee on Security agreed on a raft of punitive measures, including keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance till Pakistan gives up support for cross-border terrorism.
Debashree Mukherjee, secretary in the Jal Shakti ministry, conveyed this decision to Pakistan’s secretary for water resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, in an official letter despatched on April 24.
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Murtaza sent an official response thereafter that laid out Pakistan’s position, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity. Murtaza is understood to have said that Pakistan considers India’s decision to suspend the treaty as unilateral and a violation of the provisions of the pact since it does not allow for the exit of a party.
The Pakistani side also called on the Indian side to reconsider its decision in view of the repercussions for the neighbouring country’s economy, which is largely dependent on agriculture, the people said.
There was no word from Indian officials on the development. The Indian side has already made it clear that the punitive economic, political and diplomatic measures announced after the Pahalgam terror attack will remain in place despite the understanding reached by India and Pakistan on May 10 to halt all firing and military actions.
On May 7, India conducted military strikes on terror infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan under Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack. This triggered four days of intense strikes and counter-strikes by the two countries using drones, missiles and long-range weapons before they reached an understanding on halting military actions.
Indian officials have said that the Indus Waters Treaty, which has survived three wars and a four-decade-long campaign of cross-border terrorism backed by Pakistan, will remain in abeyance as Islamabad cannot carry on supporting terrorism directed against New Delhi while expecting cooperation in areas of its choosing. The people cited above also pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent address to the nation on Monday in which he said that blood and water cannot flow together.
The treaty was concluded in the spirit of goodwill, friendship and good neighborliness, and these principles have been held in abeyance by Pakistan through its support of cross-border terrorism, the officials said. The Indian side made a compelling case over the past few years for the treaty to be made contemporary and “fit for purpose” through government-to-government negotiations as allowed by Article 12 of the pact.
Since the treaty was based on engineering techniques of the 1950s and 1960s, it is out of alignment with contemporary engineering techniques and other changes such as the climate crisis, melting of glaciers, change in water quantities available, and demographic changes. This has led to India’s call for a relook at the distribution of rights and obligations under the treaty.
India approached the Pakistanis for renegotiating the treaty over the past two years but there was no response from Islamabad. Indian officials have said this “stonewalling” of all Indian requests in this regard amounts to a violation of the treaty.
