India rules out restoring Indus water treaty with Pakistan

The confluence of the Indus and Zanskhar rivers in the Ladakh region, India.

India has firmly stated that it will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan and plans to divert the water flow for domestic use, according to Home Minister Amit Shah.

Speaking in an interview published on Saturday, Shah confirmed that India’s participation in the decades-old agreement is permanently halted. “No, it will never be restored,” he said, adding that water previously flowing into Pakistan would instead be redirected to the Indian state of Rajasthan through new canal infrastructure.

The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, governs water sharing from the Indus river system between India and Pakistan. It had guaranteed access for around 80% of Pakistan’s agricultural lands via rivers that originate in India.

India suspended its participation in the treaty following the killing of 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir in what it called a terror attack. Although a ceasefire was reached last month between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after their worst clashes in years, the treaty remains in abeyance.

Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack and had hoped for diplomatic talks to restore the accord.

Amit Shah, considered one of the most influential figures in the Indian government, said, “Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.”

His remarks signal a hardening of India's stance and a significant blow to prospects for dialogue. Last month, reports indicated India plans to significantly increase its water usage from rivers that feed Pakistani farms as part of its retaliatory measures.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has not immediately commented on Shah’s latest remarks. However, it has previously maintained that the treaty does not permit either side to unilaterally suspend or withdraw from it. Islamabad has warned that any disruption to its water supply could be viewed as an “act of war.”

Pakistan is reportedly exploring legal avenues under international law to challenge India's move and reinstate treaty obligations.