India says it will stop Indus water flowing to Pakistan within two years, minister announces
India’s Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil said Tuesday that New Delhi is working to fully divert Indus River waters into Indian territory and expects the flow to Pakistan to stop within 18–24 months. Patil said the government has placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance and is carrying out projects in difficult terrain to use the river’s water for domestic needs.
“Since the treaty was put in abeyance under Prime Minister Modi’s direction, every effort is being made to ensure not a single drop flows into Pakistan,” Patil said, adding that Home Minister Amit Shah is personally monitoring progress. “I believe the work is proceeding on schedule and the flow to Pakistan will stop in the next 1.5–2 years.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, governs use of the Indus river system. India suspended its obligations under the treaty after last year’s Pahalgam terror attack, saying Pakistan had not credibly renounced support for cross-border terrorism. Pakistan opposed India’s move and set up a Court of Arbitration, which India calls illegally constituted.
Last month India rejected an award issued by that court as “null and void.” The Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly said India never recognized the court’s legality and that any decisions from it are invalid. New Delhi also criticized what it described as attempts by Pakistan to use international arbitration to avoid accountability for its role in cross-border terrorism.
