Pakistan Alleges India Manipulating Indus Waters, Warns of Crisis for Farmers

Islamabad: Tensions between India and Pakistan over the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) have escalated over the past eight months, with recent disputes focusing on fluctuations in the flow of the Chenab River. Pakistani authorities and experts claim that India’s management of the river is harming farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab province and violating international water-sharing protocols.

Concerns Over Chenab Flow
According to reports in Pakistan’s leading newspaper Dawn, recent disruptions in the Chenab’s flow appear to follow a deliberate pattern. Experts argue that India, controlling the river’s upper reaches, is using its position to exert pressure on Pakistan. Sudden release and storage of water at the Baglihar Dam, followed by extraordinary reductions in river flow without prior notice, are cited as violations of treaty protocols.

Water as a Weapon
“New Delhi is turning water into a political weapon,” the report states, warning that these actions not only breach the Indus Water Treaty but also international agreements on upper-lower basin water sharing. Pakistani experts say the unpredictable flow has severely impacted irrigation during the critical wheat-growing season, putting millions of acres of farmland at risk.

Punjab Faces Water Shortages
The lack of water has created severe shortages in Pakistan’s Punjab province, threatening crop yields. Experts argue that the combination of sudden water releases, reductions, and delayed data-sharing turns water into a potentially lethal weapon, raising fears that India could use dams and storage as strategic leverage.

Call for International Pressure
The Dawn editorial calls on the international community to pressure India to separate politics from water management and adhere to treaty obligations. Violating the Indus Water Treaty could have serious economic and security consequences not only for India and Pakistan but also for other transboundary water agreements worldwide.

The editorial emphasizes that while the IWT has survived wars and diplomatic crises since 1960, recent actions by India undermine the treaty’s spirit. It warns that the Chenab River is Pakistan’s lifeline and any misuse could provoke further conflict between the two nations.