India Tightens Water Noose Around Pakistan After Pahalgam Attack (File )
Taking a very strong strategic decision after the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India has made a historic decision by disconnecting Indus River water supply to Pakistan. The river, which is originated in India and provides more than 80% of water to Pakistan for irrigation, electricity, and other basic purposes, will no longer act as a lifeblood to the country. This step is a turning point in India's approach to countering cross-border terrorism. The Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 with World Bank arbitration had been assuring peaceful sharing of water between the two countries. But successive instances of alleged Pakistani-backed acts of terror have compelled India to reconsider its largesse.
Aggravating Pakistan's water crisis, India has reignited its centuries-old relationship with Afghanistan to further constrict the pressure. In a recent diplomatic foray, The talks were not merely courteous-they were strategic.
India has committed to help Afghanistan construct two large dams, one on the Kabul River (the Shahtoot Dam) and the other on the Kunar River. Both the Kabul and Kunar rivers have their sources in Afghanistan and flow into Pakistan, ultimately becoming part of the Indus. Through Indian aid, these dams will considerably cut down the amount of water entering Pakistan from its west.
This two-front water attack cutting the Indus off from the east and parching the Kabul-Kunar rivers from the west can potentially freeze Pakistan's already creaking water system. Pakistan depends hugely on the Indus River system. All of Pakistan's major rivers converge into the Indus, which discharges into the Arabian Sea through Sindh province. From irrigation to drinking water to hydroelectricity, the Indus is Pakistan's lifeline. Now that India and Afghanistan are cooperating, Pakistan is seriously at risk of a water-scarce future.
On Monday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey confirmed the government's new strategy on X (formerly Twitter). He hailed the move as a much-needed lesson to Pakistan and a proper reply to its ongoing patronage of terrorism. In his tweet, he had penned, "More bad news for the Pakistani terrorist who was dying in misery without water. The government there will cut off the water by building dams on Kabul and Kunar rivers. This is killing and tormenting."
India's water diplomacy is being employed as a geopolitical tool nowadays not only to react to terrorism, but also to deter it. While war leaves devastation in its wake, this policy seeks to bring Pakistan to its knees without having to fire one bullet. It's a new kind of pressure, with diplomacy greeting geography.
Pakistan is now confronted with a stark question that how long can it persist with its confrontational policies towards India without paying the price internally?
Copyright © 2025 Top Indian News
