-
-
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said Pakistan will no longer receive water from rivers controlled by India, further increasing tensions between the two nations.
Speaking at a rally in Rajasthan on Thursday [May 22], Modi warned, “Pakistan will pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack – militarily and economically.” He claimed India has the right to stop water flowing to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960.
In response, Pakistan’s Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan told Reuters that Islamabad is open to talks but India must honour the treaty, which was brokered by the World Bank and ensures water access for 80 percent of Pakistan’s farmland.
READ: Pakistan extends airspace ban for Indian flights
Awan said India cited rising population and clean energy demands to justify changes to the treaty, but stressed that no party can unilaterally suspend it. “The treaty is still operational, and India would act at its own peril if it violates it,” Awan warned.
Since the April 22 suicide bombing in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK), blamed by India on Pakistan – an allegation Islamabad denies – both sides have taken retaliatory steps. These include closing borders, suspending trade and visas, and moving troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Dutch media that military operations would continue. “We will hit the terrorists, even inside Pakistan if necessary,” he said.
Despite a ceasefire reached on May 10, tensions remain high in the region.
Pakistan’s Balochistan province recently saw a suicide bombing that killed six, including four children, as per media reports, the attack was carried out by the ‘Indian proxies.’
