24 April 2025 : India on Wednesday suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, day after 26 people including tourists were gunned down in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The move is among the five big punitive moves taken by New Delhi against Islamabad in the wake of the terror attacks.
But what could be the impact of this move?
The Indus system comprises the main river, Indus, and five left bank tributaries, i.e Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Jhelum, and Chenab. Kabul, the right bank tributary, does not flow through India.
The Ravi, the Beas, and the Sutlej are together called Eastern rivers while the Chenab, the Jhelum and the Indus are called Western Rivers. Its waters are critical to both India and Pakistan.
Pradeep Kumar Saxena, who served as India’s Indus Water Commissioner for over six years, told PTI,” India, as an upper riparian country, has multiple options. This could be the first step towards the abrogation of the Treaty, if the Government so decides.”
“Although there is no explicit provision in the Treaty for its abrogation, Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on Law of the Treaties provides sufficient room under which the treaty can be repudiated in view of the fundamental change of circumstances which has occurred with regard to those existing at the time of conclusion of the Treaty,” he added.
What steps India can take?
Last year, India in a formal notice to Pakistan, sought the “review and modification” of the treaty.
Summary: India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan after the Pahalgam attack, impacting water supply vital for agriculture, power, and exacerbating Pakistan’s economic challenges.