Pakistan Urges India to Reconsider Suspension of Indus Waters Treaty After Pahalgam Attack

After facing strong military retaliation from India, the Pakistani government has appealed to New Delhi to reconsider its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, a move announced following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 Indian soldiers.

Pakistan Seeks Dialogue Amid Escalating Tensions

According to top sources cited by CNN-News18, Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources, has written a formal letter to his Indian counterpart in the Ministry of Jal Shakti. In it, Pakistan expressed its willingness to engage in discussions and urged India to revive the treaty.

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India’s Cabinet Took Swift Action After the Attack

India made the landmark decision to suspend the treaty during a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting on April 23 — just a day after the Pahalgam incident. The treaty, originally signed in 1960, had allocated around 30% of the Indus River system’s water to India and 70% to Pakistan.

Operation Sindoor and Retaliatory Measures

India intensified its response to the terror attack with Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, which involved targeted airstrikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Military and drone strikes were exchanged for four days before a ceasefire was established.

India also announced it would stop sharing flood warnings with Pakistan, which had been part of long-standing cooperative arrangements under the Indus Waters framework.

India’s Firm Stand: No Talks Without End to Terror

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed India’s position, stating that the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” He added that climate change, population growth, and new technologies have created a changed context, necessitating a review of the decades-old agreement.

PM Modi: “Water and Blood Can’t Flow Together”

In a powerful message delivered to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday declared, “Water and blood can’t flow together,” underlining the strategic pressure being applied by India as part of its broader policy against state-sponsored terrorism from across the border.