'J&K has never been in favour of...': Omar Abdullah welcomes Centre's move to suspend Indus Waters Treaty

Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday welcoming the Centre's decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty in the wake of a barbaric terror attack in South Kashmir's Pahalgam that claimed 28 lives and injured several more, said "J&K has never been in favour of the Indus Waters treaty".

Centre's move came as part of a series of retaliatory measures following the Pahalgam attack. In addition to halting the treaty, New Delhi also announced it will shut down the integrated check post at Attari and reduce the strength of Pakistan’s High Commission in New Delhi to 30, with reciprocal downsizing of India’s mission in Islamabad. The Centre said the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan “credibly and irreversibly” ends its support for cross-border terrorism.

Speaking to mediapersons in Srinagar, Abdullah said Union Home Minister during his conversation with the J&K administration has assured complete support in this fight and also asked for a similar level of engagement from J&K's security apparatus.

Responding to a question on the hit on tourism industry in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, the chief minister said: "At this point of time, we are not counting on the monetary loss. We are working collectively to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack are brought to justice."

The Indus Waters Treaty, signed on September 19, 1960, is a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank. It governs the use of the Indus River and its tributaries, which originate in Tibet and flow through India into Pakistan before draining into the Arabian Sea.