New Delhi, May 04 :
Further tightening the screws on Pakistan against the backdrop of Pahalgam terror attack, India has curbed the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River and is planning similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, sources said on Sunday.
The hydroelectric dams — Baglihar in Ramban in Jammu and Kishanganga in north Kashmir — offer India the ability to regulate the timing of water releases, PTI reported, quoting sources familiar with the matter. India’s decision to suspend the decades-old treaty follows the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, by terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. The Baglihar Dam has been a longstanding point of contention between the two neighbours, with Pakistan having sought World Bank arbitration in the past. The Kishanganga Dam has faced legal and diplomatic scrutiny, especially regarding its impact on the Neelum River, a tributary of the Jhelum.
India has taken a slew of punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspending the exchange of all categories of mail and parcels from the country through air and surface routes amid escalating tensions between the two nations. India has also imposed a complete ban on imports of all goods from Pakistan with immediate effect on the grounds of national security and public policy.
A day after the attack, India announced a raft of punitive measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only operational land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties given cross-border links to the attack.
It also announced the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, and ordered all Pakistani nationals in India to leave the country.
Both countries are on the brink of an armed conflict, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a recent high-level meeting with the top defence brass, asserted that the armed forces have “complete operational freedom” to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the terror attack.
In response, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian airliners and suspended all trade with India, including through third countries. Pakistan rejected India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and said any move to stop the flow of water will be seen as an “act of war”.
