India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, which resulted in the deaths of 26 people, including one foreign national.

This decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), India's highest national security body, after investigations revealed cross-border links to the attack. The suspension marks a significant shift in India's approach to Pakistan, as the IWT, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, had been one of the world's most durable international water-sharing agreements, surviving wars and diplomatic crises for 64 years.

The Indus Waters Treaty governs the use of six rivers in the Indus Basin, dividing rights between India and Pakistan. India has exclusive control over the eastern rivers—Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej—while Pakistan has rights over the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab.

Under the treaty, India was allowed limited use of the western rivers for non-consumptive purposes such as hydropower but could not block or significantly alter the water flow to Pakistan. By suspending the treaty, India removes these limitations, regaining control over water flows that are vital to Pakistan’s agriculture and energy sectors.

Pakistan is heavily dependent on the Indus River system, with nearly 90% of its irrigation relying on water from the western rivers. The suspension of the treaty threatens to disrupt water supply to Pakistan’s agricultural heartlands, potentially exacerbating water scarcity, reducing crop yields, and causing socio-economic instability, especially in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh. India’s move is a strategic attempt to pressure Pakistan to cease its support for cross-border terrorism, linking water diplomacy directly to security concerns for the first time in decades.

India's government has declared that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan "credibly and irreversibly" ends its support for terrorism. This suspension includes halting all treaty-related cooperation such as technical meetings, data sharing, and notifications about water flows.

The decision followed a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and included key ministers and officials, signalling a coordinated and firm response to the Pahalgam attack. The move has not yet elicited an official response from Pakistan but is expected to lead to diplomatic escalation and possibly international mediation, especially involving the World Bank.

India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty is a landmark development in Indo-Pak relations, transforming a long-standing water-sharing agreement into a tool of geopolitical pressure in response to terrorism. It underscores the increasing intertwining of water security and national security in the region, with significant implications for Pakistan’s agriculture, economy, and diplomatic posture.

PTI