One month after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Pakistan will not receive water from rivers to which it is entitled.
Speaking at a rally in Rajasthan state on Thursday, May 22, Modi declared: “Pakistan must pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack,” emphasizing that Pakistan’s military and economy would bear the brunt of these consequences.
The Indus Water Treaty, signed in 1960 with World Bank mediation, supplies water to 80% of Pakistan’s farms from three rivers originating in India.
The Indian government suspended the treaty following attacks on tourists in Kashmir, stating that the suspension would continue until “Pakistan credibly and irreversibly ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
” Tensions between the two countries have escalated to missile and drone strikes.
In response to India’s action, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Law Aqil Malik announced that Islamabad is preparing international legal action and considering several options, including bringing the matter before the World Bank as the treaty’s facilitator.
However, Pakistan’s Finance Minister previously stated that the suspension would have “no immediate effect” on the country.
