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The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistani delegation in London for diplomatic outreach
A Pakistani delegation led by former Pakistan Foreign Minister and chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in London on Sunday (June 9, 2025) night from Washington, as part of Islamabad's diplomatic outreach following recent hostilities between India and Pakistan. Islamabad's diplomatic exercise, comprising two delegations, was announced after New Delhi announced that it would send seven delegations to world capitals to convey its outrage on the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 civilians, almost all Indian men, were shot dead by terrorists. India has also sought to explain 'Operation Sindoor', its retaliatory strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and the consequent armed conflict between the two countries. Both countries' delegations had overlapped last week in Washington. Pakistan is seeking international involvement in the conflict and a reversal of India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance. The Pakistani delegation in London included three other former foreign ministers: Jalil Abbas Jilani, Khuran Dastagir Khan (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz or PML-N) and Hina Rabbani Khar (PPP). It also included PPP vice-chair Sherry Rehman (PPP), Climate minister Musadik Masoor Malik (PML-N) and Adeel Mumtaz who directs the India desk at the Pakistani foreign ministry. Members of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party were not part of the group. The delegation was scheduled to speak on-the-record at the think tank IISS. It was also scheduled to speak off the record on Monday morning at Chatham House, prior to the IISS event, and hold meetings at the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the afternoon according to a source familiar with the delegation schedule. The delegation is expected to travel to Brussels after London. Ahead of their closed door bilateral discussions in New Delhi on Saturday, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had told his UK counterpart David Lammy that India practiced a 'zero tolerance policy' with regard to terrorism and 'expected its partners to understand it'. In London, Washington and other capitals, India's delegations had been keen to emphasise, last week, that there could be no equivalence between the perpetrators of terror and its victims. New Delhi has also pushed back against any third party intervention in the conflict between India and Pakistan, most notably U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated insistence that he brokered the May 10 ceasefire between the countries and used trade as leverage to achieve it. Mr Lammy remarks in a May 17 Reuters interview from Islamabad, in which he had said the U.K. and U.S. were working on an enduring ceasefire in the region, had raised eyebrows in New Delhi.
Hindustan Times
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Pakistan hit by water crisis as Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance; Punjab worst-hit: Report
More than a month after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan, the neighbouring country has reported a drastic decrease in water. As per the latest data released by the Pakistani government, the water levels of the Indus and Jhelum rivers on Pakistan's side are running low. However, the Punjab province has been the worst-hit due to the "sudden decrease" in the inflows of the Chenab river. Based on the data from the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), the total availability of water in Punjab stands at 1,28,800 Cusecs on June 2, which is 14,800 Cusecs less than the water available last year. ALSO READ | Exposed by India globally over terror, Pakistan now dispatches delegations abroad Furthermore, IRSA added that the availability of water in the Indus River system in Punjab has declined by 10.3 pe rcent. The situation is expected to worsen as the southwest monsoon for Pakistan remains four weeks away. The water shortage in Pakistan's Punjab will have a direct impact on the summer crop season. Due to the limited availability of water, the province is bracing for irrigation problems amid severe summer heat. As per IRSA, "sudden decrease in river Chenab inflows at Marala due to short supply by India would result in more shortage in early kharif season". At the Tarbela and Mangla dams, Pakistan has reported a dip in water level as India continues to reduce water flow of the Indus rivers. As per an IndiaTV report, Mangla dam on the Jhelam river is currently left with less than 50 per cent of its fill level. Meanwhile, Tarbela dam on the Indus river stays slightly over 50 per cent. India has also stopped sharing water data with Pakistan has it continues to hold the 1960 treaty in abeyance. The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 divided the six key rivers of Indian after the partition of 1948. In this treaty, it was determined that the Western rivers of Indus, Jhelum and Chenab would be allocated to Pakistan, whereas the Eastern rivers of Ravi, beas ans Sutlej would be allocated to India. Under the IWT, India will continue to receive 20 per cent of the water from the Indus River system, while Pakistan retains 80 per cent. After the attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen, India announced it will be suspending the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan admits its role and takes action against cross-border terrorism. In response to this, Pakistan stated that any act of stopping the water flow would be seen as an "act of war."
Express Tribune
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Delhi moves to follow through on IWT threat
Listen to article India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, expanding an over 100-year-old canal and building new water storage sites, according to people familiar with the matter. Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which governs usage of the Indus river system, shortly after 26 civilians were killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Without offering any evidence, India blamed Pakistan for the attack. Pakistan vehemently denied any involvement in the incident, but the water accord has not been revived despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing to a ceasefire last week, following the worst fighting between them in decades. In April, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told officials to expedite planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan's use, six people told Reuters. One of the key plans under discussion involves doubling to 120km the length of the Ranbir canal on the Chenab, which runs through India to Pakistan's agricultural powerhouse of Punjab, two of the people said. The canal was built in the 19th century, long before the treaty was signed. India is permitted to draw a limited amount of water from the Chenab for irrigation, but an expanded canal— which experts said could take years to construct – would allow it to divert 150 cubic meters of water per second — up from about 40 cubic meters currently, according to official documents. Details of the Indian government's deliberations on expanding Ranbir have not previously been reported. The discussions started last month and continue even after the ceasefire, one of the people said. The Indian ministries responsible for water and foreign affairs, as well as Modi's office, did not respond to Reuters' questions. Indian hydropower giant NHPC, which operates many projects in the Indus system, also did not respond to an email seeking comment. The water and foreign ministries of Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment but Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told lawmakers this week that the government had written to India, arguing that suspending the treaty was unlawful and that Islamabad regarded it as remaining in force. Any efforts by Delhi to build dams, canals or other infrastructure that would withhold or divert significant amount of flow from the Indus system to India "would take years to realise," said water security expert David Michel of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. Islamabad said after India suspended the treaty in April that it considered "any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan" to be an "act of war". The treaty is widely seen as one of the world's most successful water-sharing accords, having survived several major wars and longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan. The treaty restricts India largely to setting up low-impact hydropower projects on the three rivers allocated to Pakistan. Alongside the plans to expand Ranbir canal, India is also considering projects that would likely reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to that country, according to two government documents seen by Reuters and interviews with five people familiar with the matter. One document, an undated note prepared by a government company for officials considering irrigation plans, suggests that water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum "potentially be distributed into rivers" in three northern Indian states. Delhi has also created a list of hydropower projects in its IIOJK that it hopes will expand capacity to 12,000 megawatts, up from the current 3,360 MW. The list, which was created by the power ministry and seen by Reuters, was not dated. The prospective projects also include dams that can store large volumes of water, in what would be a first for India in the Indus river system, according to two people familiar with the matter. India has identified at least five possible storage projects, four of which are on tributaries of Chenab and Jhelum. Pakistan has said that it is preparing legal action in several international forums, including the World Bank, which facilitated the treaty, as well as the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Plea to IMF Separately, in continued hostility towards Pakistan, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should reconsider a $1 billion loan to Pakistan, alleging it was "funding terror", a move denounced by Pakistan as proof of New Delhi's desperation. "I believe any economic assistance to Pakistan is nothing less than funding terror," Singh told troops at an air force base in western India. India made similar plea to IMF but last week, the IMF approved a loan programme review for Pakistan, unlocking a $1 billion payment. "India was the lone country which tried to stop it [IMF programme] and it failed. It again reflects Indian frustration. Trying to criticise an institution like IMF speaks about this desperation," Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters in Islamabad.
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First Post
16-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Amid Pakistan tensions, India weighs major water diversion from Indus system with new river project
One key plan involves doubling the Ranbir canal's length to 120 km, allowing India to divert 150 cubic meters of water per second from the Chenab, up from 40 cubic meters, according to a report read more A view of the Uri-II hydroelectric project dam on the Jhelum River which flows from Kashmir into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, near Uri in Kashmir's Baramulla district, May 7, 2025. Reuters File India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action for a deadly April attack on tourists that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, according to four people familiar with the matter. Delhi 'put in abeyance' its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which governs usage of the Indus river system, shortly after 26 civilians in Indian Kashmir were killed in what India called an act of terror. Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord has not been revived despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing a ceasefire last week following the worst fighting between them in decades. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After suspending India's participation in the treaty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered officials to expedite planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan's use, six people told Reuters. One of the key plans under discussion involves doubling to 120km the length of the Ranbir canal on the Chenab, which runs through India to Pakistan's agricultural powerhouse of Punjab, two of the people said. The canal was built in the 19th century, long before the treaty was signed. India is permitted to draw a limited amount of water from the Chenab for irrigation, but an expanded canal - which experts said could take years to construct - would allow it to divert 150 cubic meters of water per second, up from about 40 cubic meters currently, the four people said, citing official discussions and documents they had seen. Details of the Indian government's deliberations on expanding Ranbir have not previously been reported. The discussions started last month and continue even after the ceasefire, one of the people said. The Indian ministries responsible for water and foreign affairs, as well as Modi's office, did not respond to Reuters' questions. Indian hydropower giant NHPC, which operates many projects in the Indus system, also did not respond to an email seeking comment. Modi said in a fiery speech this week that 'water and blood cannot flow together,' though he didn't refer to the treaty. Water minister CR Paatil told a media event Friday that his ministry would 'implement what Prime Minister Modi says' and 'try to ensure that not a drop of water goes out.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The water and foreign ministries of Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told lawmakers this week that the government had written to India arguing that suspending the treaty was unlawful and that Islamabad regarded it as remaining in force. Islamabad said after India suspended the treaty in April that it considered 'any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan' to be an 'act of war.' About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. Any efforts by Delhi to build dams, canals or other infrastructure that would withhold or divert significant amount of flow from the Indus system to India 'would take years to realize,' said water security expert David Michel of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. But Pakistan has had a preview of the kind of pressure it could face from India: Water at a key receiving point in Pakistan briefly fell by as much as 90% in early May after India started maintenance work on some Indus projects. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Success threatened The Indus system runs through some of the world's most geopolitically tense areas, originating near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and snaking through India's north and Pakistan's east and southeast, before emptying into the Arabian Sea. The treaty is widely seen as one of the world's most successful water-sharing accords, having survived several major wars and longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan. Islamabad has previously opposed many Indian projects in the Indus system, while Delhi said after the Kashmir attack that it had been trying to renegotiate the treaty since 2023 to account for population increases and its rising need for clean hydroenergy. The treaty restricts India largely to setting up low-impact hydropower projects on the three rivers allocated to Pakistan. Delhi has freedom to utilize the waters of three other rivers - the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi tributaries - as it sees fit. Alongside the plans to expand Ranbir canal, India is also considering projects that would likely reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to that country, according to two government documents seen by Reuters and interviews with five people familiar with the matter. One document, an undated note prepared by a government company for officials considering irrigation plans, suggests that water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum 'potentially be distributed into rivers' in three northern Indian states. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One of the people said the document, the details of which haven't been previously reported, was created for discussions with power ministry officials after the April 22 attack. Delhi has also created a list of hydropower projects in its Jammu and Kashmir territory that it hopes will expand capacity to 12,000 megawatts, up from the current 3,360 MW. The list, which was created by the power ministry and seen by Reuters, was not dated. A person familiar with the document said it was created before the Kashmir incident but is actively being discussed by government officials. The prospective projects also include dams that can store large volumes of water, in what would be a first for India in the Indus river system, according to two people familiar with the matter. India has identified at least five possible storage projects, four of which are on tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum, according to the power ministry document. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Political wrangling The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan, though each controls only parts of the area. The region has been ravaged by an anti-India insurgency for decades, which Delhi has accused Islamabad of fuelling and funding. Pakistan denies the charges. International relations expert Happymon Jacob at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University said that India's new focus on the Indus Waters Treaty reflected an attempt to pressure Pakistan over Kashmir. 'With the latest conflict, Delhi may refuse to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan in any format,' he said. 'Delhi has not only progressively narrowed the scope of bilateral talks but has also curtailed the agenda, focusing only on specific issues like the IWT.' Pakistan has said that it is preparing legal action in several international forums, including the World Bank, which facilitated the treaty, as well as the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Court of Justice in the Hague. 'Water should not be weaponised,' Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Reuters on Monday. 'We don't even want to consider any scenario which … does not take into account the reinstatement of this treaty.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Michel, the US-based expert, said that concern over the treaty's suspension was not limited to Islamabad. 'As geopolitical competition across the region deepens, more than a few Indian observers fear that Delhi's use of water against Islamabad risks licensing Beijing to adopt the same strategy against India,' he said.
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
India weighs plan to slash Pakistan water supply with new Indus river project
FILE PHOTO: Fishermen clear a fishing net in the water on the partially dried up riverbed of the Indus River in Hyderabad, Pakistan April 25, 2025. REUTERS/Yasir Rajput/File Photo NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action for a deadly April attack on tourists that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, according to four people familiar with the matter. Delhi suspended its participation in the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which governs usage of the Indus river system, shortly after 26 civilians in Indian Kashmir were killed in what India called an act of terror. Pakistan has denied involvement in the incident, but the accord has not been revived despite the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreeing a ceasefire last week following the worst fighting between them in decades. After the April 22 attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered officials to expedite planning and execution of projects on the Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, three bodies of water in the Indus system that are designated primarily for Pakistan's use, six people told Reuters. One of the key plans under discussion involves doubling to 120km the length of the Ranbir canal on the Chenab, which runs through India to Pakistan's agricultural powerhouse of Punjab, two of the people said. The canal was built in the 19th century, long before the treaty was signed. India is permitted to draw a limited amount of water from the Chenab for irrigation, but an expanded canal - which experts said could take years to construct - would allow it to divert 150 cubic meters of water per second, up from about 40 cubic meters currently, the four people said, citing official discussions and documents they had seen. Details of the Indian government's deliberations on expanding Ranbir have not previously been reported. The discussions started last month and continue even after the ceasefire, one of the people said. The Indian ministries responsible for water and foreign affairs, as well as Modi's office, did not respond to Reuters' questions. Indian hydropower giant NHPC, which operates many projects in the Indus system, also did not respond to an email seeking comment. Modi said in a fiery speech this week that "water and blood cannot flow together," though he didn't refer to the treaty. Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters Tuesday that India "will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism". The water and foreign ministries of Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told lawmakers this week that the government had written to India arguing that suspending the treaty was unlawful and that Islamabad regarded it as remaining in force. Islamabad said after India suspended the treaty in April that it considered "any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan" to be an "act of war." About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million. Any efforts by Delhi to build dams, canals or other infrastructure that would withhold or divert significant amount of flow from the Indus system to India "would take years to realize," said water security expert David Michel of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. But Pakistan has had a preview of the kind of pressure it could face from India: Water at a key receiving point in Pakistan briefly fell by as much as 90% in early May after India started maintenance work on some Indus projects. SUCCESS THREATENED The Indus system runs through some of the world's most geopolitically tense areas, originating near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and snaking through India's north and Pakistan's east and southeast, before emptying into the Arabian Sea. The treaty is widely seen as one of the world's most successful water-sharing accords, having survived several major wars and longstanding tensions between India and Pakistan. Islamabad has previously opposed many Indian projects in the Indus system, while Delhi said after the Kashmir attack that it had been trying to renegotiate the treaty since 2023 to account for population increases and its rising need for clean hydroenergy. The treaty restricts India largely to setting up low-impact hydropower projects on the three rivers allocated to Pakistan. Delhi has freedom to utilize the waters of three other rivers - the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi tributaries - as it sees fit. Alongside the plans to expand Ranbir canal, India is also considering projects that would likely reduce the flow of water into Pakistan from rivers allocated to that country, according to two government documents seen by Reuters and interviews with five people familiar with the matter. One document, an undated note prepared by a government company for officials considering irrigation plans, suggests that water from the Indus, Chenab and Jhelum "potentially be distributed into rivers" in three northern Indian states. One of the people said the document, the details of which haven't been previously reported, was created for discussions with power ministry officials after the April 22 attack. Delhi has also created a list of hydropower projects in its Jammu and Kashmir territory that it hopes will expand capacity to 12,000 megawatts, up from the current 3,360 MW. The list, which was created by the power ministry and seen by Reuters, was not dated. A person familiar with the document said it was created before the Kashmir incident but is actively being discussed by government officials. The prospective projects also include dams that can store large volumes of water, in what would be a first for India in the Indus river system, according to two people familiar with the matter. India has identified at least five possible storage projects, four of which are on tributaries of the Chenab and Jhelum, according to the power ministry document. POLITICAL WRANGLING The Himalayan region of Kashmir is claimed by both India and Pakistan, though each controls only parts of the area. The region has been ravaged by an anti-India insurgency for decades, which Delhi has accused Islamabad of fuelling and funding. Pakistan denies the charges. International relations expert Happymon Jacob at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University said that India's new focus on the Indus Waters Treaty reflected an attempt to pressure Pakistan over Kashmir. "With the latest conflict, Delhi may refuse to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan in any format," he said. "Delhi has not only progressively narrowed the scope of bilateral talks but has also curtailed the agenda, focusing only on specific issues like the IWT." Pakistan has said that it is preparing legal action in several international forums, including the World Bank, which facilitated the treaty, as well as the Permanent Court of Arbitration or the International Court of Justice in the Hague. "Water should not be weaponised," Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Reuters on Monday. "We don't even want to consider any scenario which ... does not take into account the reinstatement of this treaty." Michel, the U.S.-based expert, said that concern over the treaty's suspension was not limited to Islamabad. "As geopolitical competition across the region deepens, more than a few Indian observers fear that Delhi's use of water against Islamabad risks licensing Beijing to adopt the same strategy against India," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
