Pakistan Will Not get Water Over Which India has Rights: Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights. His statement came a month after an attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir led India to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty. This treaty, signed in 1960 with help from the World Bank, manages water sharing between the two countries.

On April 22, an attack killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, though Pakistan denied it. In response, India took several steps, including suspending the water treaty. This led to the worst military tension between the two countries in almost 30 years. A ceasefire was agreed on May 10.

At a public event in Rajasthan, Modi warned: “Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack … Pakistan’s army will pay it, Pakistan’s economy will pay it.”

Water Treaty’s Importance to Pakistan

The Indus Waters Treaty gives Pakistan access to water from three rivers that flow from India. These rivers support 80% of Pakistan’s farmland. Despite the suspension, Pakistan’s finance minister said earlier this month that the move would not have “any immediate impact.”

The ceasefire is mostly holding. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told Dutch outlet NOS, “There is no exchange of fire currently and there has been some repositioning of forces accordingly.”

He added, “The (military) operation continues because there is a clear message…that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22, there will be a response, we will hit the terrorists. If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are.”

Pakistan has not yet responded to the latest comments by Modi and Jaishankar.

Long History of Tension

India and Pakistan have had a troubled relationship since their separation in 1947. They have fought three wars—two of them over Kashmir. Both countries claim the region fully, but control only parts of it.

India also accuses Pakistan of backing Islamist separatists in its part of Kashmir. Pakistan denies this. Since April, both countries have taken strict steps. These include halting trade, closing land borders, and stopping most visa services.