India has decided to put on hold the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, 64 years after the water-sharing agreement was signed between former PM Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and then Pak President Ayub Khan.
In a strong response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India has decided to put on hold the Indus-Waters Treaty with Pakistan. This comes a day after 26 people died after terrorists opened fire at tourists in Pahalgam. The survivors said the terrorists first asked them to recite Islamic verse, and the ones who couldn’t recite the same were shot dead in front of their families.
Pakistan-based The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s deadly attack.
Notably, former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal has earlier called for the indefinite suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, saying that “blood and water” can’t go together.
“It is time to suspend the Indus Water Treaty indefinitely as a truly meaningful response to the latest terrorist outrage in Pahalgam instigated by Pakistan. We have earlier said that blood and water can’t go together. Let’s act on our own declared position. This will be a strategic response,” Sibal, who was the Indian ambassador to Russia and is now the Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, said in a post on X.
“We are in a favourable position on this with the US as the terrorist attack has occurred during Vance’s visit. Trump and Vance have strong views on Islamic extremism and terrorism,” he added.
The decision to suspend the Treaty was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The CCS was briefed in detail on the terrorist attack on 22 April 2025.
What Is The Indus Waters Treaty?
It includes the uninterrupted flow of Rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej between the two countries and the usage of waters for domestic and agricultural purposes.
India had previously blocked water to Pakistan for some time in 1948, but it was later restored after the ceasefire. In 1951, Pakistan had taken the matter to the United Nations (UN) and accused India of cutting the supply of water to many Pakistani villages.
The agreement came into existence in 1954 and was finally signed in 1960.
Under the agreement, India got control over the three eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej; whereas Pakistan got control over the three western rivers Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. All the waters of the Eastern Rivers were allocated to India for her unrestricted use while India is under obligation to let flow all the waters of the Western Rivers, except for the domestic, non-consumptive and other uses permitted in the Treaty.
India can use the water from the western rivers for domestic, non-consumptive use such as storage, irrigation, and also for the generation of electricity. The domestic use, as per the treaty, meant water can be used for drinking, washing, bathing, recreation, and sanitation.
It can also be used for household and municipal purposes and industrial purposes, including mining and milling, among others.
The treaty states that India will have unrestricted access to all the waters of the Eastern Rivers. It also mentions that, except for domestic use, non-consumptive and agricultural use, Pakistan shall be under an obligation to let flow, and shall not permit any interference with the waters of any Tributary which in its natural course, joins the Sutlej Main or the Ravi Main before these rivers have finally crossed into Pakistan.
The treaty provides India 20% of the water from the Indus River System and the rest 80% to Pakistan. The agreement came into effect on April 1, 1960 and was initially valid till March 31, 1970.