Union Home Minister Amit Shah Chairs High-Level Meet On Indus Water Treaty

Union Home Minister Amit Shah today chaired is high-level meeting regarding the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan at his residence in New Delhi. India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil and senior government officials attended the meeting.

Indus Water Treaty: What’s at stake for both sides?

For the first time in more than six decades, India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan, marking a major shift in how it handles cross-border relations.

The move follows a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, prompting the Indian government’s Cabinet Committee on Security to act.

The IWT, signed in 1960 and brokered by the World Bank, has long been seen as a rare example of peaceful cooperation, even during times of war and diplomatic breakdown. Under the treaty,

India controls the three eastern rivers–Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej–while Pakistan has rights over the three western rivers–Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. Strategically, India could now block inspections and revisit restrictions on dam projects.

However, it lacks the infrastructure to divert water entirely, making long-term disruption unlikely without major investment. Meanwhile, experts warn this could set a precedent, affecting India’s own standing as a mid-riparian state, especially with China upstream. Pakistan, heavily reliant on the Indus for 90% of its agriculture and a quarter of its GDP, faces a serious threat. Krishna Yadav explains