Islamabad, May 15: Pakistan has reportedly written a letter to India, urging it to reconsider the decision to put the Indus Waters Treaty into abeyance. Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources has reportedly written a letter to New Delhi to resume the flow of rivers into its territory under the Indus Waters Treaty, reports have claimed.The Indus Waters Treaty is a pivotal water-sharing accord that has endured for more than six decades. The plea comes after India halted the 1960 agreement in the wake of yet another Pakistan-backed terrorist attack, this time in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which left 26 civilians dead, mostly tourists.
India, invoking its national security prerogative, has placed the treaty in abeyance until Islamabad “credibly and irrevocably” ends its support for terrorism.
The move was endorsed by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the apex decision-making body on strategic affairs, marking the first time New Delhi has hit pause on the World Bank-brokered agreement.
In a letter sent to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Pakistani Ministry warned that suspending the treaty would trigger a crisis within the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first address since Operation Sindoor, underlined the government’s uncompromising position.
“Water and blood cannot flow together,” he declared. “Terror and talks cannot happen at the same time. Terror and trade cannot happen simultaneously.”
However, Indian officials have dismissed these concerns, pointing to Pakistan’s longstanding use of terrorism as a state policy.
The treaty allocates three western rivers, Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, to Pakistan, while the eastern rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, remain with India.