AMN / WEB DESK
In yet another strong step against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, India has stanched the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that India has cut off water flow to Pakistan from the Baglihar Dam, following through on its decision not to allow a “single drop” to go to the neighbouring country from the Indus rivers. India is also planning similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River.
The hydroelectric dams Baglihar in Ramban district in Jammu division and Kishanganga in north Kashmir offer India the ability to regulate the timing of water releases. India’s decision to suspend the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) follows the killing of 26 civilians, mostly tourists, in the terror attack in Baisaran valley in Pahalgam on April 22.
The Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, has governed the use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. The Baglihar Dam has been a longstanding point of contention between the two neighbours, with Pakistan having sought World Bank arbitration in the past. The Kishanganga Dam has faced legal and diplomatic scrutiny, especially regarding its impact on the Neelum River, a tributary of the Jhelum.