In the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India has decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, marking a significant diplomatic escalation. The Indian Embassy in Washington emphasised that while the treaty was signed in a spirit of goodwill, Pakistan’s continued support for state-sponsored terrorism has undermined its very foundation.
Responding to media inquiries, the Embassy posted on X, “The Indus Water Treaty was concluded by India with Pakistan in a spirit of goodwill and friendship in 1960.” It further stated, “Pakistan, through its well-documented, state-sponsored terrorism directed against India, has corroded this spirit. India cannot be expected to continue to cooperate with a country which is responsible for killing innocent civilians.”
The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier announced that the treaty would be held in abeyance “with immediate effect, until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 after nine years of negotiations facilitated by the World Bank, is regarded as one of the most enduring and successful international agreements, despite repeated hostilities between India and Pakistan. Former World Bank President Eugene Black initiated the dialogue, and the treaty has served as a framework for irrigation and hydropower projects for over six decades. Former US President Dwight Eisenhower had hailed it as “one bright spot … in a very depressing world picture that we see so often.”
Under the treaty, the Western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab—are allocated to Pakistan, while the Eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—are allocated to India. However, each country is allowed specific non-consumptive and agricultural uses of the other’s allocated rivers. India receives about 20 per cent of the waters from the Indus River System, while Pakistan receives the remaining 80 per cent.
India’s suspension of the treaty reflects a major shift in its strategic and diplomatic posture following the terror attack that claimed 26 lives, including one Nepali national, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region. The move is part of a broader set of retaliatory measures targeting Pakistan, including the suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals and closure of the Integrated Check Post at Attari.
The Indian government has reiterated its demand that Pakistan must take verifiable steps to dismantle the infrastructure of terror operating from its soil if it wishes to restore diplomatic normalcy.