Pakistan sent 4 letters to India seeking reinstatement of Indus Waters Treaty, 3 of them were after Operation Sindoor

The suspension of the treaty is likely to hit Pakistan’s Rabi crops hard

A total of four letters have been sent by Pakistan so far expressing concerns over the suspension of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) – a step that was undertaken post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, according to a report by CNN-News18. Pakistan has urged India to re-evaluate the decision.

The IWT was signed by the two countries in 1960 to address the water dispute between them and to share the waters of the six main rivers of the Indus basin.

Debashree Mukherjee, India's Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, in a letter to her Pakistani counterpart, Syed Ali Murtaza, stated after the suspension of the treaty that India remains a victim of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. The resulting security uncertainties have directly impeded India's full utilisation of its rights under the Treaty, the letter said.

Letters from Pakistan

The first appeal was sent in early May, ahead of Operation Sindoor’s launch. Since then, Murtaza has issued three more appeals.

All correspondence has been routed through the Ministry of Jal Shakti to the Ministry of External Affairs, CNN-News18 reported citing sources.

The suspension of the treaty is likely to hit Pakistan’s Rabi crops hard, sources said, though the Kharif season is expected to remain largely unaffected. The move could also disrupt everyday life and escalate into a water availability crisis.

Pakistan has reportedly reached out to World Bank to intervene in the matter, however, it has refused to step in so far, the report added.

India-Pak tensions

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the Pahalgam terror attack claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists. India responded with precision strikes -- under what it called Operation Sindoor -- targeted at terror pads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7.

Pakistan retaliated with subsequent strikes on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.

Post the Pahalgam terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has mentioned a number of times that trade and terror can’t go together and water and blood can’t flow together.