 "What is India's 3-step plan to stop Indus water flow to Pakistan?")
India has officially placed the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan on hold, marking a significant shift in its water diplomacy and cross-border engagement with its western neighbour.
The government has launched a multi-tiered initiative aimed at stopping the flow of the Indus River’s waters into Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attack , which killed 26 Indian nationals and was carried out by terrorists linked to Pakistan.
The announcement comes with clear political, strategic and infrastructural undertones as India redefines its response to terrorism through resource control.
What the Indus Waters Treaty meant for Pakistan
On April 24, 2025, India formally informed Pakistan that the Indus Waters Treaty would be held in “abeyance”, effectively halting all treaty-related responsibilities between the two nations.
This includes suspension of data exchange, meetings between designated Indus Commissioners and advance notice for any new project developments in the basin. The notice was issued a day after India publicly declared its intent to pause the long-standing pact.
The notification was delivered by Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, who underlined that continuous terror activities orchestrated from across the border compromise India’s rights under the water-sharing arrangement.
In a letter to her Pakistani counterpart Syed Ali Murtaza, she wrote: “The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental to a treaty. However, what we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The 1960 treaty, mediated by the World Bank, was designed to equitably divide the waters of the Indus River and its six tributaries between the two countries.
Under this arrangement, the waters of the eastern rivers — Ravi, Sutlej and Beas — were allocated to India, while Pakistan was given rights to the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Historically, Pakistan has received around 135 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually under this distribution — nearly 70 per cent of the Indus system’s total flow .
What India’s three-phase action plan to stop water flow is
In a key development following the treaty’s suspension, the Indian government has announced a comprehensive three-phase approach — short-term, mid-term, and long-term — to operationalise the decision and restrict the flow of river water into Pakistan.
This plan was formalised during a high-level meeting held at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, attended by relevant stakeholders including Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil.
During the deliberations, Patil reportedly stated: “We will ensure that not a single drop of water flows into Pakistan from India.”
मोदी सरकार द्वारा सिंधु जल संधि पर लिया गया ऐतिहासिक निर्णय पूर्णतः न्यायसंगत और राष्ट्रहित में है।हम ख्याल रखेंगे की पाकिस्तान में सिंधु नदी का एक बूंद पानी भी नहीं जाए । pic.twitter.com/yJhdzdDAAb
— C R Paatil (@CRPaatil) April 25, 2025
The short-term measures include administrative enforcement actions. These involve intensified anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, removal of Pakistani nationals present in the country, and the cancellation of all Pakistani visas except for Long Term Visas (LTVs) granted to persecuted Pakistani Hindus.
In tandem with the announcement, Shah also contacted chief ministers of Indian states to initiate the process of identifying and deporting Pakistani nationals. The government has asked all Pakistani citizens residing in India to leave the country within a 72-hour window, which expires on April 26.
On the infrastructure side, the mid-term and long-term plans revolve around boosting India’s ability to retain, divert and repurpose water that would have otherwise flowed to Pakistan.
Government sources confirmed that measures such as desilting of existing dams, the construction of new storage reservoirs and the redirection of river flows are being planned to maximise water retention.
The government is also looking to fast-track several hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir that had previously faced objections from Pakistan under the IWT’s consultative clauses.
The suspension of the treaty now allows India to proceed with these initiatives without the obligation to notify or obtain clearance from Pakistan , removing a significant procedural hurdle.
How India plans to deal with World Bank
Given the international nature of the IWT, which includes the World Bank as a guarantor, questions have arisen about possible legal ramifications. However, Indian officials assert that the decision is legally defensible given the backdrop of repeated cross-border hostilities.
Sources familiar with the developments confirmed that the government is equipped to address any legal challenges that may arise, including those routed through international forums like the World Bank or United Nations.
“Even if Pakistan decides to approach the World Bank, India has readied its response and will counter effectively,” News18 quoted a source as saying.
In the meantime, another significant development is the halt of hydrological data sharing. This data has been critical for Pakistan’s flood and drought management planning.
With the flow of such information suspended, Pakistan’s ability to anticipate seasonal water availability could be severely hampered.
Furthermore, India is preparing to significantly augment its electricity generation in Jammu and Kashmir by utilising its full potential under the eastern rivers — an area that had previously seen underutilisation due to treaty restrictions.
These steps are being taken with assurances that domestic water users in India will not face any interruptions as a result of the new water management strategy.
How Indian politicians have defended the move
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed his long-standing discontent with the treaty, which he said has disadvantaged the region.
“Government of India has taken some steps. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, let’s be honest we have never been in favour of the Indus Water Treaty,” Abdullah told reporters.
“Now what the medium to long-term implications to this are, that is something we have to wait to see,” he added.
“We have always believed that the IWT has been the most unfair document to its people.”
The BJP, meanwhile, released a video showing the impact of the decision on Pakistan, highlighting the dependence of its agricultural sector on Indus waters. The video reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s famous line: “Blood and water cannot flow together.”
𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫.
— BJP (@BJP4India) April 25, 2025
India is tightening the noose on Pakistan through its 5-point action plan, which includes the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
Watch what Pakistan stands to lose... pic.twitter.com/mDe9Kue930
According to the party, this move aligns with Modi’s stance since 2016 when he first made the statement in the wake of the Uri attack.
While India refrained from suspending the treaty after the Pulwama attack, the Pahalgam tragedy appears to have marked a decisive shift in policy.
The BJP’s campaign also shed light on the disparity in water access between the two nations, citing how 80 per cent of Pakistan’s agriculture depends on the Indus system, while India receives only a third of the total basin water.
The implication being that India has both moral and strategic justification to reassess the treaty in light of new security challenges.
How Pakistan has responded to the move
Pakistan has rejected India’s suspension of the IWT and issued a warning that any interruption to its allocated water supply will be treated as a hostile act.
Officials in Islamabad described the move as an “act of war,” underscoring how vital the Indus River is to its national agriculture and daily water consumption for over 240 million people.
The Indus Waters Treaty has long been hailed as one of the most resilient international water-sharing agreements in modern history.
Surviving multiple wars and diplomatic tensions over six decades, it now faces its most serious disruption yet.
While India’s actions are expected to lead to geopolitical ramifications, New Delhi remains firm on its stance that the treaty cannot be upheld when the spirit of peace and cooperation has been persistently violated.
With inputs from agencies
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