“It will inflame tensions in a bilateral relationship that is already plagued by hostility and mistrust”
Senator and Pakistan People’s Party leader Sherry Rehman on Monday criticized India’s reported approval of a new hydroelectric project on the Chenab River, warning that “the militarization of water as a weapon was neither sensible nor acceptable” and accused New Delhi of violating the Indus Waters Treaty.
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“In flagrant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India has just approved the Dulhasti Stage-II hydroelectric project on the Chenab River in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).”
He said the treaty framework cannot be modified unilaterally. “Under the IWT, which cannot be revoked unilaterally, as recent UN rapporteurs have confirmed, Pakistan has control over the waters of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab rivers, while the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers are under the control of India,” he said.
Rehman warned that India’s recent moves signaled a broader strategy behind what he described as the illegal suspension of the treaty.
“Following the illegal suspension of the treaty, India has decided to fast-track several disputed hydropower projects in the Indus basin. These projects include Sawalkot, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru and Kirthai-1 and 2. Dulhasti Stage-II is considered a part of this strategy,” he said.
He warned that such actions had serious regional consequences.
“This use of water as a weapon is neither sensible nor acceptable in a region that is on the front lines of climate change and environmental stress. It will inflame tensions in a bilateral relationship that is already bristling with hostility and mistrust,” he said.
