New Delhi: Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has firmly ruled out the possibility of reviving the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, declaring that water currently flowing to the neighbouring country will instead be redirected for domestic use.
In an interview published Saturday by the Times of India, Shah stated unequivocally: "No, it will never be restored," referring to the 1960 agreement that has long governed the distribution of the Indus river system between the two nuclear-armed nations.
The treaty, brokered with World Bank assistance, had guaranteed Pakistan access to the waters of three rivers — a lifeline for nearly 80% of its agricultural land. However, India suspended its participation in the accord after a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir claimed 26 civilian lives, which Delhi attributes to terrorism emanating from across the border. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the incident.
Shah revealed that India intends to construct a canal to reroute the water previously allocated to Pakistan towards the arid region of Rajasthan. "Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably," he asserted.
The minister’s remarks, coming from one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closest and most influential allies, appear to quash any immediate prospects for resuming talks on the treaty.
Last month, Reuters reported that New Delhi was preparing to significantly increase its usage of water from one of the key rivers flowing into Pakistan, citing it as part of its retaliatory strategy.
