NEW DELHI: Following a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, Union jal shakti minister CR Paatil on Friday said that the central government has developed a comprehensive strategy to halt Indian river water from flowing into Pakistan.
This comes after the Indian government suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in reaction to a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 people.
Paatil said that urgent actions are being given priority, with river desilting being one of the primary measures. “A roadmap was prepared in the meeting with Amit Shah. Three options were discussed in the meeting. The government is working on short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures so that not even a drop of water goes to Pakistan. Soon, desilting of rivers will be done to stop the water and divert it.”
“The historic decision taken by the Modi government on the Indus Water Treaty is entirely just and in the national interest. We will ensure that not a single drop of the Indus River’s water reaches Pakistan,” he further said in a tweet on X.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also expressed his firm opposition to the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring that the 1960 agreement between India and Pakistan represents the ‘most unfair document’ for the Union Territory’s residents.
In his press statement, Omar Abdullah said, “The government of India has taken some steps. As far as J&K is concerned, we have never been in favour of the Indus Waters Treaty. We have always believed that the Indus Waters Treaty has been the most unfair document to the people of J&K.”
“It is regrettable that this attack took place, and we ensured that any issues that were brought to our attention in the meeting, we will work on them. During this meeting, I spoke with the Union home minister and he assured me that all steps will be taken to ensure the safety of the people of J&K who are staying in other states. An advisory will be issued by the Home Ministry and the Union Minister also spoke with the Chief Ministers of many states,” he further stated.
During the cabinet committee security meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India resolved to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan definitively renounces support for cross-border terrorism and has shut down the integrated Attari Check Post.
