New Delhi | June 7, 2025
In the wake of a deepening water crisis, Pakistan has sent four official letters to India, pleading for the reinstatement of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), which India suspended following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists.
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According to sources, the letters were sent by Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza to India’s Jal Shakti Ministry, which then forwarded them to the Ministry of External Affairs. Despite the outreach, India remains unmoved, citing national security concerns and stating that “blood and water cannot flow together.”
“While the treaty was based on goodwill, Pakistan has violated its spirit by backing cross-border terrorism,” sources said.
India invoked its national security prerogative and announced the suspension of the World Bank-brokered treaty through the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)—marking the first such suspension since the IWT was signed in 1960. The decision came alongside the launch of Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
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India has made it clear that the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ceases its terror support.
Facing dire consequences, Pakistani leaders and lawmakers have warned of an impending “water bomb.”
“We would die of hunger if we don’t resolve this now. The Indus Basin is our lifeline,” said Senator Syed Ali Zafar in a parliamentary session last month.
The Indus Basin provides over three-fourths of Pakistan’s water, supports 90% of its crops, and underpins its hydropower infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed willingness to hold peace talks with India in an attempt to defuse tensions.
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India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, highlighted at a UNSC informal meeting on May 24 that Pakistan has not only sponsored terrorism but also blocked attempts to modernize or amend the IWT, despite repeated Indian requests over the past two years.
“The treaty’s foundation of friendship and goodwill has been eroded by Pakistan’s hostile actions — including three wars and thousands of terror attacks,” Mr. Harish said.
He also underlined changing ground realities such as climate change, energy needs, and demographic pressures, calling for the treaty to reflect these shifts.
Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan Water Crisis, India Pakistan Relations, Operation Sindoor, Pahalgam Attack, Jal Shakti Ministry, United Nations, Climate Security
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