Wants Water, But Spreads Terror? Pakistan Begs India After Indus Treaty Suspension – But Here’s Why Modi Said No

In a dramatic appeal to India, Pakistan has urged New Delhi to reconsider its recent decision to pause the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). The request came through an official letter by Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary of Pakistan’s Ministry of Water Resources, sent to India’s Jal Shakti Secretary Debashree Mukherjee. The letter described India’s move as “unilateral and illegal,” even calling it an “attack on Pakistan’s people and economy.” But this reaction from Islamabad comes at a time when the world has watched Pakistan’s growing support for terrorism go unchecked, especially after the tragic Pahalgam attack that killed 26 innocent civilians, mostly tourists.

Treaty Suspension Was Not Sudden, But a Response to Repeated Provocations

The decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty was not taken in haste. According to official sources, the move was approved by India’s Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on April 23, just days after Operation Sindoor, a precision anti-terror mission carried out by Indian forces targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This operation was in direct response to the brutal killing of tourists in Pahalgam, an attack traced back to Pakistan-based terror networks.

Despite such horrifying provocations in the past, Uri (2016), Pulwama (2019), and now Pahalgam (2025). India continued to uphold the Indus Waters Treaty, a pact signed in 1960 under World Bank mediation, which gave Pakistan rights over 80% of the Indus water system, even though the rivers originate in India.

Blood and Water Cannot Flow Together: PM Modi’s Firm Stand

India’s stance is rooted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s powerful message:

“Blood and water cannot flow together.”

This sentiment reflects not revenge, but a shift in India’s national security posture. Pakistan cannot expect India to allow the uninterrupted flow of river waters while it actively shelters terrorists who murder Indian civilians. For decades, India has displayed goodwill by letting 80% of the Indus water, about 135 million acre-feet, flow to Pakistan, which helps irrigate crops across Punjab and Sindh. In return, India has faced bullets, bombs, and betrayal.

Experts have long pointed out that the Indus Waters Treaty was one of the most generous water-sharing agreements in the world. Under the terms, India kept only 20% of the water, specifically from the eastern rivers (Ravi, Sutlej, Beas), while Pakistan received the lion’s share from the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab).

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Even after massive terror attacks, India never weaponized water. It built only a few hydroelectric projects like Baglihar and Salal (on Chenab), all within the permissible limits of the treaty. Despite repeated Pakistani objections, international dispute resolution bodies sided with India, validating that New Delhi had not violated the pact.

Pakistan’s claim that India’s action is illegal has no legal ground. The treaty itself, in Article XII (3), allows both countries to revisit or amend the agreement under “changed circumstances.” India argues that Pakistan’s continued state-sponsored terrorism is a change so fundamental that the very spirit of the treaty, built on trust and peace, stands broken.

Also, with climate change, glacial retreat, and changing rainfall patterns, India believes that old water agreements need re-examination. A senior official remarked:

“A treaty signed 65 years ago cannot ignore the current hydrological and national security realities.”

As of now, India has suspended the Indus Waters Commission, stopped sharing hydrological data, and paused coordination on water management activities. This has caused irregularities in water flow that are reportedly affecting Pakistan’s sowing season, especially in cotton-growing regions of Punjab.

But the real cause of Pakistan’s agricultural and economic collapse is not India’s decision. It is Islamabad’s obsession with funding and exporting terrorism. The country has lost billions due to FATF grey-listing, foreign aid cuts, and investor fear. Over 25% of Pakistan’s GDP is spent on defense and security, money that could be used for dams, farming, or flood control.

In the Pahalgam attack, 26 tourists, including women and children, were targeted in a cowardly act while they were enjoying the beauty of Kashmir. The grief that followed was deep, yet India did not bomb water pipelines or destroy dams. Instead, it conducted Operation Sindoor, with surgical precision, targeting only terrorist launchpads.

By pausing the treaty, India is sending a message, not a missile. Water is not being weaponized, it is being used as leverage for peace.

It is ironic that Pakistan, a nation that thrives on harboring terrorists, is now pleading for water in the name of humanity. Had it shown the same humanity when Indian soldiers were martyred in Uri, or when 40 CRPF jawans were blown up in Pulwama, the situation would have been different.

Pakistan Must Choose- Terror or Water; stop terrorism, and water will flow. But as long as blood continues to flow from cross-border attacks, India cannot and should not be expected to turn a blind eye.