New Delhi, May 6 (KNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday declared that India will no longer allow its share of river water to flow outside the country, emphasizing a strict national-first approach in the wake of heightened tensions with Pakistan.
“Bharat ke haq ka paani, Bharat ke haq mein bahega,” Modi asserted during a televised address, days after the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, had allocated the Western Rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — to Pakistan, while India retained rights over the Eastern Rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
However, the recent attack in Pahalgam, attributed to Pakistan-backed groups, has led to a significant shift in India's policy. In a sweeping response, India suspended the treaty, downgraded diplomatic ties, halted bilateral trade, closed border checkpoints, and banned Pakistani vessels from Indian waters.
Additionally, Pakistani nationals residing in India have been deported.
Since the attack, Pakistani forces have reportedly violated the Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir for ten consecutive nights, using small arms fire and further straining relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. (KNS)