India-Pakistan Tensions Rise as Islamabad Urges Restoration of Indus Waters Treaty
| 2025-06-07
Pakistan’s water secretary Syed Ali Murtaza has sent four letters to India since the Indus Waters Treaty was suspended on April 23.
Pakistan has sent multiple letters urging India to restore the suspended Indus Waters Treaty, following New Delhi’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Pakistani officials have made repeated appeals to India in recent weeks to reinstate the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a key bilateral water-sharing agreement that New Delhi placed in abeyance in April. The calls come after the Indian government announced a suspension of the treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians dead.
The letters, written by Pakistan’s water resources secretary Syed Ali Murtaza, were addressed to India’s Jal Shakti Ministry. According to sources familiar with the matter, the correspondence began soon after the April 22 attack and intensified following Operation Sindoor, a counter-terrorism measure by Indian forces.
India had issued a formal notification on 24 April, with Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee informing her Pakistani counterpart that the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably abjures cross-border terrorism.” The statement referred to India’s longstanding accusations that Pakistan provides support to armed groups operating in the Indian-administered region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Islamabad, however, has rejected India’s suspension of the treaty, arguing that it cannot be unilaterally paused under international law. According to people familiar with the correspondence, Pakistani authorities maintain that India’s actions breach the 1960 treaty’s provisions, which were brokered with World Bank assistance and have survived multiple wars between the two countries.
Despite Pakistan’s repeated overtures, India has not issued a formal response. Speaking on 29 April, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated that New Delhi would not enter into any dialogue with Islamabad until there is “credible and irreversible action” against cross-border terrorism.
Suspension of River Data Sharing
India has also stopped sharing hydrological data related to the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers—three key waterways flowing from India into Pakistan. Under the Indus Waters Treaty, approximately 80% of the river system’s waters were allocated to Pakistan, with the remainder available to India.
The lack of data and the freeze in cooperation could severely impact Pakistan’s agricultural and economic sectors, which are heavily reliant on the Indus system. According to former Indian water resources secretary Shashi Shekhar, about a quarter of Pakistan’s gross domestic product is tied to this river basin. He warned that the treaty’s suspension could “stoke civil unrest” in the country.
Mr Shekhar, who had recommended reevaluating the treaty in 2016, also recounted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier caution: “Water and blood cannot flow together.” He indicated that the Indian government’s latest move reflects a shift in tolerance levels following the Pahalgam tragedy.
Escalating Rhetoric
In Pakistan, officials have reacted strongly to the developments. Government figures have warned that any attempt to reduce the country’s access to the Indus waters would be interpreted as an “act of war.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960, is widely considered one of the most successful examples of international water cooperation. It has withstood four wars and several periods of heightened tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours. However, this is the first time since its inception that the treaty has been formally suspended by either party.
Context
The ongoing standoff underscores the fragility of India-Pakistan relations, which remain strained due to frequent border clashes, mutual distrust, and diverging positions on Kashmir. Experts say the suspension of the treaty could further erode diplomatic space between the two sides and set a precedent for the politicisation of transboundary water agreements.
India has previously expressed a desire to renegotiate aspects of the treaty, citing changes in the Indus basin’s hydrology and India’s growing population. However, no formal renegotiation has taken place.
As the diplomatic impasse continues, international observers are watching closely, concerned that escalating rhetoric and disruptions to shared resources could further destabilise a region already fraught with tension.
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