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News18
05-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
'Tough Decisions...': India Steps Up Water Heat On Pakistan After Indus Treaty Suspension
Last Updated: India closed the gates of the Salal Dam on the Chenab River in J&K's Reasi to restrict water flow to Pakistan after the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. After the Baglihar dam, India has now closed the gates of the Salal Dam on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district to restrict water flow to Pakistan, following the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. The water levels of the Chenab River saw a significant drop after all gates of the Salal Dam were closed. On Sunday, India cut water flow through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab, leading to Pakistan and was planning similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River. Reacting to the Salal Dam, Amit Malviya hailed the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 'It takes political will to make tough decisions in India's interest, and Prime Minister Modi has demonstrated that through his actions," he said. 'This is the muscular Modi Doctrine, firm and unwavering in its fight against terrorism. Water and the blood of our citizens cannot flow together. Let that be clear," Malviya added. It takes political will to make tough decisions in India's interest, and Prime Minister Modi has demonstrated that through his actions. This is the muscular Modi Doctrine, firm and unwavering in its fight against terrorism. Water and the blood of our citizens cannot flow… — Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 5, 2025 Notably, India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which governs the use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan and ensures water supply to 80% of Pakistani farms, after a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22. A senior official told The Indian Express that the gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam had been lowered to restrict water flow to Pakistan's Punjab province as a 'short-term punitive action". The step, even though for a short while, is aimed at showing Pakistan that India is ready to take coercive actions to punish them on all fronts. After the Pahalgam attack, India is taking sweeping steps in its water diplomacy to corner Pakistan. A major meeting is likely to be held this week with Home Minister Amit Shah, along with Water Resources Minister CR Paatil, Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and senior officials from all related ministries. India has also moved to halt all engagement in the IWT dispute resolution process, particularly regarding the contentious Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. India is preparing to officially ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert, Michel Lino, to pause the ongoing adjudication proceedings related to the Kishanganga-Ratle hydro project dispute, according to a report by The Economic Times. Meanwhile, India has begun work to boost reservoir holding capacity at two hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A 'reservoir flushing" process to remove sediment began on Thursday, carried out by India's biggest hydropower company, state-run NHPC Ltd, and authorities in the federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir, these sources informed. This work may not immediately threaten water supply to Pakistan, but it could eventually be affected if other Indian projects launch similar efforts. Pakistan already depends on rivers flowing through India for much of its irrigation and hydropower generation and there are over half a dozen such projects in J&K.
Economic Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
India to ask World Bank neutral expert to pause Kishanganga-Ratle proceedings under Indus Waters Treaty
India plans to halt the ongoing Kishanganga-Ratle hydel project dispute resolution. They will ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert to pause the proceedings. This follows India's decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in 'abeyance'. A mutually agreed work program between India, Pakistan, and the neutral expert is likely to be paused. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Politics India is set to ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert, mediating the Kishanganga-Ratle hydel project dispute since 2022-23 under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), to put the proceedings in abeyance, ET has is expected to cite 'changed circumstances' following the Pahalgam attack and its consequent decision to put the treaty in 'abeyance' and seek that, accordingly, the ongoing neutral expert-linked proceedings should be put in part of these proceedings, there is a mutually agreed 'work programme' between India, Pakistan and the World Bank's neutral expert Michel Lino that is likely to be paused, with India seeking abeyance of the IWT dispute resolution mechanism As per the agreed work programme for 2025, Pakistan was to submit its ' counter memorial ' by August 7. The fourth meeting of the neutral expert with the parties was lined up from November 17 to would have been significant as it would have involved presentation of India's memorial and Pakistan's counter memorial, questions by the neutral expert and preparation for the second site visit in India, most likely in reply and Pakistan's rejoinder in January and June 2026 and a possible fifth meeting of the neutral expert with the parties in July 2026 could have been the next on legal opinion on the matter, India is looking to hold back all these proceedings and is expected to soon write to the neutral expert on the same. The communication is likely to be endorsed to the World Bank, it is had reported on April 25 that the Centre was seeking legal opinion on exiting the ongoing neutral expert-led dispute resolution process in which it has actively participated so neutral expert dispute redressal mechanism for Kishanganga-Ratle projects that took off in 2023 has already seen three high-level rounds of meetings in Vienna, sharing of considerable data and documentation and a site visit to the two project areas in India in June 2024.
News18
05-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
In Another Blow To Pakistan, India To Ask World Bank To Pause Kishanganga-Ratle Case
Last Updated: India is reportedly preparing to officially ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert, Michel Lino, to pause the ongoing adjudication proceedings in Kishanganga-Ratle Case. In an escalation following the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India has effectively abandoned the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and taken sweeping steps that experts say could signal a new chapter in South Asia's geopolitical water diplomacy. From military readiness to diplomatic isolation, India appears to be cornering Pakistan on multiple fronts – and this time, the water tap is part of the strategy. One of the most significant developments in this direction has been the abrupt diversion of the Chenab River, a lifeline for Pakistan's Punjab region. By closing the gates of the Baglihar Dam in Jammu and Kashmir, India has reportedly redirected the river's flow, drastically reducing water availability downstream. The Chenab, among the three western rivers allocated to Pakistan under the IWT, contributes heavily to irrigation across vast agricultural tracts. Its diminished flow is now feared to trigger an acute water crisis, possibly even famine, in parts of Pakistan this summer. This bold maneuver is not limited to water control alone. India has also moved to halt all engagement in the IWT dispute resolution process, particularly regarding the contentious Kishanganga and Ratle hydroelectric projects. According to a report by The Economic Times, India is preparing to officially ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert, Michel Lino, to pause the ongoing adjudication proceedings. The rationale India will present is rooted in 'changed circumstances" following the Pahalgam attack and the government's decision to place the entire treaty framework in abeyance. 'India is set to ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert, mediating the Kishanganga-Ratle hydel project dispute since 2022-23 under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), to put the proceedings in abeyance," ET reported, citing high-level sources. The move is expected to be communicated soon in writing to the neutral expert, with a copy also sent to the World Bank, effectively freezing the three-party engagement. The Kishanganga-Ratle dispute, one of the most technically and diplomatically complex under the IWT, was already deep into its neutral expert phase. As part of a structured work programme, Pakistan was scheduled to file its 'counter memorial" by August 7, 2025, following which a key meeting between the parties and the expert was slated for November. This session would have included presentations from both countries, expert questions, and preparation for a second site inspection in India, tentatively planned for December. The process, which began in 2023, has already witnessed three rounds of high-level meetings in Vienna, exchange of extensive documentation, and a major site visit to the Kishanganga and Ratle project locations in June 2024. According to ET, the next phases would have included further submissions in early 2026 and a fifth meeting in July that year. All of this is now at risk of indefinite suspension. India's posture appears to be aimed at delivering a comprehensive strategic response to the Pahalgam terror attack, one that simultaneously wields military readiness, legal disengagement, and environmental leverage. While Pakistan has yet to issue an official response to this sweeping shift, the implications for regional stability and future water sharing are enormous. The IWT, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, has long been hailed as a model of resilient diplomacy. India's decision to back away from both the treaty and its dispute resolution process marks a historic, and potentially irreversible, break from that legacy.
NDTV
05-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
India's Water Warning To Pak As It Blocks Flow Through Jammu Dam On Chenab
Srinagar: Following its decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, India briefly stopped water flow through the Baglihar dam on the Chenab river. According to reports, the Centre is planning similar steps on the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum. This move is temporary as the Baglihar dam has been built in line with the Indus Waters Treaty and can hold a limited volume of water after which it must release it. But coming amid bilateral tensions in the wake of the terror attack, it is clearly a warning sign for Islamabad. The Chenab and Jhelum, on which the Baglihar and Kishanganga dams are built, are "western rivers" and, according to the waters treaty, Pakistan is entitled to their unrestricted use. India can only use the waters of these rivers for agricultural use, hydroelectric power generation, or any other form of non-consumptive use. The Baglihar project is a run-of-the-river power project in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district. A run-of-the-river project has little or no water storage. The project currently generates 900 MW of hydroelectricity. The project's first phase was completed in 2008 and the second in 2015. The Kishanganga project, also a run-of-the-river project, is located in Bandipore and has a 330 MW capacity. Pakistan had objected to both these projects, alleging that the designs and parameters violated the waters treaty. It said that Baglihar dam's parameters would give India a strategic advantage during conflict. After several rounds of talks did not yield an agreement on Baglihar, Pakistan flagged its objections to the World Bank, a signatory to the Indus Waters Treaty. A World Bank-appointed expert upheld some of Pakistan's objections, but rejected its concerns on the dam's height and gated control of the spillway. In the Kishanganga project, too, Pakistan raised objections and said India was not permitted to divert waters from one tributary to another. Islamabad went to the World Bank and a Court of Arbitration ruled in New Delhi's favour. India's move to stop water is temporary because the Baglihar dam can only hold water to a certain height. Once that is met, India must release water. The only way to stop water for longer durations is to increase the dam's height, which would not happen overnight. Pakistan has earlier warned that any move by India to stop water would be considered an act of war and threatened to suspend all bilateral agreements, including the Simla Agreement that validates the Line of Control. Ties between the two neighbours have nosedived in the wake of the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam in which 25 tourists and a Kashmiri were killed in cold blood. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said there is "grief and rage" over the killings from "Kargil to Kanyakumari". "This attack was not just on innocent tourists; the country's enemies have shown the audacity to attack India's soul," the Prime Minister has said, adding that the terrorists who carried out the attack and those who plotted it would "get a punishment they cannot imagine". Investigation into the shocking terror strike has pointed to the involvement of Pakistan, which has earlier backed several acts of terror on Indian soil.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
India to ask World Bank neutral expert to pause Kishanganga-Ratle proceedings under Indus Waters Treaty
India plans to halt the ongoing Kishanganga-Ratle hydel project dispute resolution. They will ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert to pause the proceedings. This follows India's decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty in 'abeyance'. A mutually agreed work program between India, Pakistan, and the neutral expert is likely to be paused. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in Politics India is set to ask the World Bank-appointed neutral expert, mediating the Kishanganga-Ratle hydel project dispute since 2022-23 under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), to put the proceedings in abeyance, ET has is expected to cite 'changed circumstances' following the Pahalgam attack and its consequent decision to put the treaty in 'abeyance' and seek that, accordingly, the ongoing neutral expert-linked proceedings should be put in part of these proceedings, there is a mutually agreed 'work programme' between India, Pakistan and the World Bank's neutral expert Michel Lino that is likely to be paused, with India seeking abeyance of the IWT dispute resolution mechanism As per the agreed work programme for 2025, Pakistan was to submit its ' counter memorial ' by August 7. The fourth meeting of the neutral expert with the parties was lined up from November 17 to would have been significant as it would have involved presentation of India's memorial and Pakistan's counter memorial, questions by the neutral expert and preparation for the second site visit in India, most likely in reply and Pakistan's rejoinder in January and June 2026 and a possible fifth meeting of the neutral expert with the parties in July 2026 could have been the next on legal opinion on the matter, India is looking to hold back all these proceedings and is expected to soon write to the neutral expert on the same. The communication is likely to be endorsed to the World Bank, it is had reported on April 25 that the Centre was seeking legal opinion on exiting the ongoing neutral expert-led dispute resolution process in which it has actively participated so neutral expert dispute redressal mechanism for Kishanganga-Ratle projects that took off in 2023 has already seen three high-level rounds of meetings in Vienna, sharing of considerable data and documentation and a site visit to the two project areas in India in June 2024.
