Union Home Minister Amit Shah has firmly declared that India will not restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, stating that the river water currently flowing to Pakistan will be diverted to Rajasthan through the construction of a new canal.
In an interview with The Times of India, Shah said, “No, it will never be restored,” when asked about the future of the 1960 agreement. “We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.”
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank in 1960, governs water-sharing from the Indus River system between India and Pakistan. However, India suspended the pact in April 2025 after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. The Indian government accused Pakistan of continued support for terrorism and stated that such behavior violates the spirit of any bilateral agreement.
Pakistan’s Response and Diplomatic Strain
Pakistan has denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack and has made multiple appeals to India to reverse its suspension of the treaty. Pakistani Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza is reported to have sent four letters to India’s Jal Shakti Ministry, requesting the decision be reviewed—three of them after the conclusion of Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory military operation.
However, India remains steadfast. In its formal suspension notice dated April 24, Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee wrote, “The obligation to honour a treaty in good faith is fundamental. What we have seen instead is sustained cross-border terrorism by Pakistan targeting Indian territory.”
The Indus Waters Treaty had long been hailed as a rare example of peaceful cooperation between two nuclear-armed neighbours, even during periods of war. With Shah’s recent remarks, the treaty’s future appears sealed, ushering in a new era of hardened water diplomacy.
