‘It will inflame tensions in a bilateral relationship already bristling with hostility and distrust’
Senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader and Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday slammed India’s reported approval of a new hydropower project on the Chenab River, warning that the “weaponisation of water was neither sane nor acceptable” and accusing New Delhi of violating the Indus Waters Treaty.
Reacting on social media platform X, Rehman said Indian approval of the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project amounted to a blatant breach of international obligations.
“In flagrant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), India has just given approval to the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).”
She said the treaty framework could not be altered unilaterally. “As per the IWT, which cannot be unilaterally revoked, 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 fall under India’s control,” she said.
Rehman warned that India’s recent moves signalled a broader strategy following what she described as the illegal suspension of the treaty.
“Following the illegal suspension of the treaty, India has decided to fast-track several disputed hydroelectric 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 part of this strategy,” she said.
She cautioned that such actions carried serious regional consequences.
“This weaponisation of water is neither sane nor acceptable in a region on the frontlines of climate change and environmental stress. It will inflame tensions in a bilateral relationship already bristling with hostility and distrust,” she said.
