India will ensure that not a single drop of Indus river water flows into Pakistan, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil said on Friday, after the government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 following the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people earlier this week.
Paatil made the remarks after a high-level meeting chaired by Home Minister Amit Shah, which was convened to discuss the treaty and assess implementation measures.
“India won't give Pakistan even a single drop of water. The decision to scrap the Indus Water Treaty will be implemented 100%,” Paatil told ANI, adding that implementation would follow a "step-by-step approach."
He said the government has prepared short-term, mid-term, and long-term plans to ensure that no water flows to Pakistan.
The meeting was held at Shah’s residence and was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Paatil, and other senior government officials. It lasted for around two hours.
The minister also told PTI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had issued a slew of directives, and the meeting was held to follow up on them. Shah made several suggestions for their effective implementation, Paatil added.
“We will ensure that not a single drop of water flows into Pakistan from India,” he told PTI.
Paatil later posted on X: “The Modi government's historic decision on the Indus Waters Treaty is lawful and in national interest. We will ensure that not a single drop of Indus water flows into Pakistan.”
The Indian government has informed Pakistan in writing about the decision to keep the treaty in abeyance.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Devashree Mukherjee, has written to Pakistan’s Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza, notifying the suspension and seeking modifications to the treaty under Article XII(3).
The government cited fundamental changes since the treaty’s inception, including significantly altered population demographics, the need to accelerate clean energy development, and shifts in water-sharing assumptions.
Officials also pointed to Pakistan’s promotion of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as a breach of good faith and the treaty itself.
Sources said the government is working on a long-term strategy to ensure effective implementation of the decision.
On April 24, Paatil chaired a series of meetings to expedite execution, in line with the Prime Minister’s instructions.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs the use and distribution of six rivers in the Indus basin — Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej.
Under the treaty, Pakistan was granted control over the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab), while India retained rights over the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej).
India's suspension of the treaty comes in response to what it described as continued breaches by Pakistan, including its refusal to enter into negotiations and sustained support for terrorism targeting Indian territory.
In retaliation, Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines and suspended trade ties, including those routed through third countries.
Islamabad also rejected India’s suspension of the water-sharing pact, warning it would treat any disruption as an “act of war.”
