Will India Revoke Suspension Of Indus Water Treaty After Ceasefire Agreement With Pakistan?

Will India revoke the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty after deciding for a ceasefire agreement with Pakistan? Well, the early reports claim that the abeyance will remain in effect despite the US-mediated peace deal.

"There is no pre or post-condition of the ceasefire. The call was initiated from Pakistan. The Indus Water Treaty to remain in abeyance," ANI quoted the MEA sources in a tweet.

Last month, New Delhi suspended the treaty following a deadly attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead. The treaty guarantees water access to roughly 80% of Pakistani agriculture.

Responding to India's decision, Pakisstan had said that any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water will be considered as an 'Act of War and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of National Power.'

"Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an Act of War and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of National Power," said the official statement.

"Either water will flow in this Indus, or their blood will," said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, former foreign minister of Pakistan.

The Indus Waters Treaty

The Indus Waters Treaty, a landmark water-sharing agreement, was signed on September 19, 1960, with the World Bank acting as a mediator. The pact was signed in Karachi by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistani President Field Marshal Ayub Khan. This distribution meant Pakistan received about 70% of the total waters of the Indus river system, even though much of the system originates in India. The pact survived despite the three wars between India and Pakistan in 1965, 1971, and 1999.

After the suspension, India began a process known as "reservoir flushing" to remove sediment buildup, carried out by the state-run NHPC Ltd, India's largest hydropower company, in coordination with authorities in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, according to three sources.

While the current activity may not immediately disrupt water flow to Pakistan-which relies heavily on rivers that pass through India for both irrigation and hydroelectric power-it could pose a longer-term risk if more projects follow suit. The region hosts over half a dozen such projects.

Earlier in the day, India has decided that any future act of terror will be considered an Act of War against India and will be responded accordingly, top government sources told ANI. The decision to consider any terrorist attack in India as an Act of War was taken during the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. It was attended by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and chiefs of the Indian Armed Forces at his residence in New Delhi.