What Is Indus Waters Treaty? India Halts Water-Sharing Settlement With Pakistan After 64 Years

“It’s time to droop the Indus Water Treaty indefinitely as a very significant response to the most recent terrorist outrage in Pahalgam instigated by Pakistan. We’ve got earlier mentioned that blood and water cannot go collectively. Let’s act on our personal declared place. This will probably be a strategic response,” Sibal, who was the Indian ambassador to Russia and is now the Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru College, mentioned in a submit on X.

“We’re in a beneficial place on this with the US because the terrorist assault has occurred throughout Vance’s go to. Trump and Vance have robust views on Islamic extremism and terrorism,” he added.

The choice to droop the Treaty was taken within the assembly of the Cupboard Committee on Safety (CCS) below the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. The CCS was briefed intimately on the terrorist assault on 22 April 2025.

What Is The Indus Waters Treaty?

Signed in September 1960 in the course of the time of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then-Pakistan President Ayub Khan, the Indus Waters Treaty is an settlement on water-sharing between India and Pakistan. It was brokered by the World Financial institution after heavy negotiations that went on for 9 years.

It contains the uninterrupted stream of Rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej between the 2 nations and the utilization of waters for home and agricultural functions.

India had beforehand blocked water to Pakistan for a while in 1948, but it surely was later restored after the ceasefire. In 1951, Pakistan had taken the matter to the United Nations (UN) and accused India of reducing the availability of water to many Pakistani villages.

The settlement got here into existence in 1954 and was lastly signed in 1960.

Below the settlement, India received management over the three japanese rivers – Ravi, Beas and Sutlej; whereas Pakistan received management over the three western rivers Indus, Chenab and Jhelum. All of the waters of the Jap Rivers have been allotted to India for her unrestricted use whereas India is below obligation to let stream all of the waters of the Western Rivers, apart from the home, non-consumptive and different makes use of permitted within the Treaty.

India can use the water from the western rivers for home, non-consumptive use equivalent to storage, irrigation, and in addition for the era of electrical energy. The home use, as per the treaty, meant water can be utilized for consuming, washing, bathing, recreation, and sanitation.

It will also be used for family and municipal functions and industrial functions, together with mining and milling, amongst others.

The treaty states that India can have unrestricted entry to all of the waters of the Jap Rivers. It additionally mentions that, apart from home use, non-consumptive and agricultural use, Pakistan shall be below an obligation to let stream, and shall not allow any interference with the waters of any Tributary which in its pure course, joins the Sutlej Most important or the Ravi Most important earlier than these rivers have lastly crossed into Pakistan.

The treaty supplies India 20% of the water from the Indus River System and the remainder 80% to Pakistan. The settlement got here into impact on April 1, 1960 and was initially legitimate until March 31, 1970.

On many events, consultants have opined that India should cease the Treaty as it’s biased in the direction of Pakistan. Nonetheless, regardless of a number of legitimate causes, India has continued the Treaty on humanitarian grounds till now.