India cuts water flow through Baglihar dam
In a significant move, India has stopped the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River leading to Pakistan and is planning similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, according to reports.
New Delhi: In a significant move, India has stopped the flow of water through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River leading to Pakistan and is planning similar measures at the Kishanganga Dam on the Jhelum River, according to reports. This move comes after India suspended the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in the wake of the barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, where 26 tourists were gunned down by terrorists at the Baisaran Meadows.
The Indus Waters Treaty has governed the use of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan since 1960. The suspension of the treaty was met with anger from Pakistan, which sees the move as an “act of war". A source familiar with the matter told news agency PTI that both hydroelectric dams, Baglihar in Ramban and Kishanganga in north Kashmir, offer India the ability to regulate the timing of water releases.
A senior official told The Indian Express that the gates of the sluice spillways on the Baglihar dam had been lowered to restrict water flow to Pakistan’s Punjab province as a “short-term punitive action". The step, even though for a short while, is aimed at showing Pakistan that India is ready to take coercive actions to punish them on all fronts, the official added.
The Baglihar Dam has been a longstanding point of contention between the two neighbours, with Pakistan having sought World Bank arbitration in the past. On the other hand, the Kishanganga Dam has faced legal and diplomatic scrutiny due to its impact on the Neelum River.
Tensions between India and Pakistan continue to escalate as the Pakistani forces violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) for ten days in a row. Pakistan also tested its surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Saturday, which India called a “reckless act of provocation and a dangerous escalation".
In its second set of punitive measures against Pakistan, India banned all imports from Pakistan, banned all Pakistani-flagged ships from docking at Indian ports and closed all postal services. India has also closed its airspace for Pakistani airlines in a tit-for-tat move to hurt Pakistan’s economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier asserted that armed forces have “complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
