India Declares Water Treaty with Pakistan Defunct

(MENAFN) India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah, stated that the Indus Water Treaty "will never be restored" between India and Pakistan.

In an interview published by a news agency on Saturday, Shah emphasized that although "international treaties can’t be annulled unilaterally," India had the authority to suspend its implementation — an action it has now taken.

He pointed out that the agreement’s preamble cited "peace and progress" as its foundation, but since those objectives were allegedly violated, "there is nothing left to protect."

India’s decision came in the aftermath of the April 22 assault in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Following the incident, New Delhi chose to independently suspend the Indus Waters Treaty — a 1960 pact mediated by the World Bank, which delineated the management of river waters shared by the two rival nations.

Shah further stated that India would make use of the water resources "that rightfully belong to India."

He added that the government plans to divert water that previously flowed to Pakistan and channel it into the desert state of Rajasthan by building a canal.

Responding to Shah’s assertions, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan criticized the move, claiming it shows "a brazen disregard for the sanctity of international agreements."

Khan reiterated that the agreement is "not a political arrangement but an international treaty with no provision for unilateral action."

He argued that India's suspension of the pact amounts to "a clear violation of international law, the provisions of the treaty itself, and the fundamental principles governing interstate relations."

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