New Delhi/Islamabad, June8: Pakistan has sent a series of diplomatic communications to India urging the reinstatement of the Indus Waters Treaty, suspended by New Delhi following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians, sources told India Today.
According to the report, Islamabad’s Ministry of Water Resources has written four letters to India, the first issued before India’s Operation Sindoor and the remaining three following airstrikes targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
India suspended the World Bank-brokered 1960 treaty, which governs water-sharing of six rivers between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, in what it described as a retaliatory measure to Pakistan-based terrorism.
India’s Jal Shakti Ministry has forwarded the appeals to the Ministry of External Affairs for further consideration, officials confirmed. The treaty grants India control over the eastern rivers—Sutlej, Beas and Ravi—while Pakistan receives waters from the western rivers—Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. The suspension has heightened concerns in Pakistan amid a deepening water crisis.
Pakistan has also approached the World Bank—the original mediator of the treaty—seeking its intervention. However, the multilateral body has reportedly refused to intervene, citing procedural constraints.
In a recent address to the nation, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a sharp warning to Islamabad, stating that “water-sharing and cross-border violence cannot coexist.” He reaffirmed that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan provides “credible and permanent assurances” that it will cease support for cross-border terrorism.
Tensions between the two countries remain elevated following the latest exchange of diplomatic and military actions. There has been no formal response from India regarding the reinstatement of the agreement as of Sunday.
