The two nuclear powers have been teetering on the brink of war since a deadly terrorist attack in India’s Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 claimed the lives of 26 people, mainly tourists. New Delhi has accused Islamabad of aiding and abetting cross-border militant incursions and suspended the key water-sharing Indus Waters Treaty shortly thereafter. Islamabad denied the allegations.
On Sunday, India’s largest news agency, the PTI, quoted the unnamed source “familiar with the matter” as saying that the country had blocked the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River, and is planning to do the same at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River in the north of India-administered Jammu and Kashmir region.
Signed in 1960 under the auspices of the World Bank, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governs the sharing of the Indus River system between the two regional archrivals that have fought four wars, as well as multiple border skirmishes since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.
Until recently, the agreement had endured, even in times of war. However, last Wednesday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced that the treaty would be suspended “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”
One of the world’s most water-stressed countries, Pakistan is heavily reliant on the Indus for agriculture, drinking water, and energy generation. According to some estimates, over 80% of the country’s agricultural land would be affected should India cut off water supplies to its neighbor, with staples like wheat, rice, and cotton particularly at risk.
In the wake of the terrorist attack in the Baisaran Valley, India expelled Pakistani diplomats and closed its land border, as well as its airspace to Pakistani aircraft. Islamabad, which has vehemently denied any involvement in the deadly incident, responded in kind.
