India will never restore the agreement with Islamabad on water supply from the Indus River, and water flowing into Pakistan will be diverted for domestic use, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday.
“No, it will never be restored. We will divert the water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan (a northwestern Indian state) by building a canal. Pakistan will face a shortage of water that it has been receiving unjustifiably,” the minister emphasised.
Shah’s comments, the most influential minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet, dampened Islamabad’s hopes for negotiations on the treaty in the near future.
India has “suspended” its participation in the 1960 treaty governing the use of the Indus River system after the killing of 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir. The treaty guaranteed access to water for 80% of Pakistan’s farms through three rivers that originate in India. Islamabad is exploring the possibility of legally challenging India’s decision to suspend the treaty in accordance with international law.
