India actively working to stop water flow to Pakistan, minister admits
New Delhi: India has intensified its rhetoric over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), with Minister of Water C.R. Patil declaring that New Delhi is working to ensure that “not a single drop of water” reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Patil made the remarks in a media interview while referring to India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam false flag operation in April 2025. Patil, speaking in Hindi, said, “It is certain that not a single drop of water will go to Pakistan in the coming years.”
He said that India is “actively working on it” in line with directives issued by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, experts have pointed out that India’s existing dam infrastructure do not have the capacity to completely block or divert the flow of rivers governed by the treaty and can only regulate the timing of water releases. They note that any major project aimed at altering water flows would take years to materialize.
Analysts warn that any disruption in water flows could have serious implications for Pakistan’s agriculture, economy and water security, while further exacerbating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Pakistan has repeatedly said that any attempt to change or stop the flow of shared rivers would be viewed as an “act of war.” Islamabad maintains that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty remains legally binding and contains no provision for unilateral suspension or withdrawal.
Pakistan has also urged the UN Security Council to address the issue, warning that India’s unilateral actions regarding the treaty could have grave humanitarian, security and peace implications for the entire South Asian region.
